Adventures in Lexicography

Following border closures, economic shutdowns, and enforced isolation, many of us are feeling the need to refamiliarize ourselves with adventure. But what does an “adventure” actually look like? Where might it occur? Most important, how can I embark on one? The Adventurer’s Glossary, by the semiotician Joshua Glenn and the philosopher Mark Kingwell, with illustrations by the cartoonist Seth, explores these questions and more through a curation of amusing, diverse, and quirky terms.

This is the trio’s third collaboration, following The Idler’s Glossary, from 2008, and The Wage Slave’s Glossary, from 2011, and each book has followed the same formula: Glenn defines the selections, Seth fashions the accompanying artwork, and Kingwell pens a “philosophical introduction” that aims to situate a theme. With The Adventurer’s Glossary, they consider “what it means...