Dr. Gerald Cohen, professor of foreign languages at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has co-authored a revised version of his 1991 monograph Origin of New York City's Nickname 'The Big Apple'. The book was published by Peter Lang.
"It's been a long haul," says Cohen. "I've been working on this topic for 22 years, although not full time, and my co-author, independent scholar , has been at it for 19.
"A great deal of new material had come out since 1991 and was scattered all over, so a revised treatment became necessary," Cohen explains. "Popik and I had written articles, the American Dialect Society provided helpful information, and several new incorrect etymologies needed to be refuted."
Cohen says there were several stages to the origin of the nickname.
Reviewed 2013-02-18