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Schott's Significa: A Miscellany of Secret Languages

by Ben Schott

The specialized vocabularies hiding in plain sight

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Regular price $45.00 USD Sale price $27.00 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Editorial selection

    Town & Country Best Book of October 2025

    Named a Best Book of October 2025 by Town & Country.

AlbakiReads Editorial

The specialized vocabularies hiding in plain sight

Ben Schott surveys the slang, jargon, and sign systems used across professions, events, and subcultures. Examples range from casino gambling and New York’s diamond district to sommeliers and London cabbies, showing how language marks membership in distinct worlds. Framed as a miscellany, the book brings together these varied vocabularies in a visually rich format with full-color photographs. Its subject sits at the intersection of linguistics and cultural observation, attending to the ways people name and organize knowledge within particular settings.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Word lovers interested in slang, jargon, and specialized vocabularies
  • Readers curious about the language of professions and subcultures
  • Fans of illustrated miscellanies and cultural reference books

Themes

Specialized languageSigns and systems of knowledgeProfessional and subcultural vocabulariesLanguage and culture

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The perfect gift for word lovers, trivia fanatics, and the culturally curious. From the author of the international bestseller Schott's Original Miscellany comes a visually rich book that breaks down the colorful language and systems of signs that make up the vocabulary of our world. Named a Best Book of October 2025 by Kirkus, Financial Times, and Town & Country

Here is an obsessive and fascinating look at the systems of language and knowledge that surrounds us. Ben Schott breaks down the lingo, slang, and jargon found in dozens of fascinating professions, events, and subcultures--from the insider language used in casino gambling to the NYC diamond district and professional sommeliers to London cabbies.

For those who wish to gain access to rarified worlds, this book is an elegant and smart look at so much hiding in plain sight around us. With its gorgeously erudite and detailed design, full-color photos throughout, and thoroughly researched survey of lingo and culture, Schott's Significa will change how you see the world.
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