A Pickle for the Knowing Ones

Uncommon card · No. 143596

A Pickle for the Knowing Ones, also known as Plain Truths in a Homespun Dress, is an 1802 autobiographical book written by American businessman Timothy Dexter. The book uses spelling and grammar that are considered exceptionally poor, and contains almost no punctuation. Dexter was a rich businessman and an eccentric, known for gaining his wealth through ill-advised but ultimately lucky investments. The book includes complaints about things such as politicians and the clergy, while Dexter praises his own glory and at one point claims that he should be the emperor of the United States. The second edition is noted for containing pages of many punctuations in the appendix, so that the reader, in Dexter's words, "may peper and solt it as they plese [sic]". A Pickle for the Knowing Ones's writing style was critiqued by poets and writers. The book was described as a "jumble of letters promiscuously gathered together" by Steven Gancerella in 2018, but was also used as an example in teaching typing.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Timothy Dexter Scanned by University of California, Public domain