The Baby Name Wizard

Yes, if you get the wrong book you can contact Amazon Customer Service and request a callback. It is easy to do on the return page for a specific order. It actually works really well. As soon as you hit the "Call Me" button your phone rings. Then you are on hold for a bit and someone answers and helps you.

I know there is a new thread now, but thought I would add that a friend's sister, who is named Elizabeth, named her daughter Isabelle. She did this knowing that they are related, and used Isabelle as almost a tribute name. I actually think this is quite nice.

However, normally I don't like names that are *too* closely related, or still sound similar to be used together. This is of course entirely a subjective judgment I make.

I got the first edition from Amazon, too. Very disappointing. Laura, you may want to follow up with them and find out what's going on here.

Well, they lied. Or screwed up, or something.
I ordered mine yesterday, through the link above. It arrived today, and it's the old edition, no red circle on the front. So now I have to return it and keep checking stores.

AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!

Three friends and I all ordered it from Amazon.com after seeing this post. Mine's not due to arrive until Monday, but all three of my friends have received theirs, and they got the first edition, not the second.

It's probably too cutesy, but I've thought that Isabella and Elisabeth would be nice names for twin girls. Few would know that Isabella was derived from Elisabeth, but of course the twins would know. There would be all sorts of nick name possibilities, similar like Bella and Beth/Betsy or Isa (I like the Spanish pronunciation "E-sa") and Elsa or dissimilar like maybe Bella and Liz (using the Elizabeth spelling).

For any of those still interested in the age/authenticity discussion of names like Katherine/Katharine/Kathryn etc. on the previous page:

I enjoy this stuff because I so love medieval names. The forms of Katherine in England were legion before "standardization" ironed them down to four or five major ones.

P.H. Reaney provides fascinating insight in the section on feminine names in "A Dictionary of English Surnames". (You can google a lot of this material if access not available to book.)

There were so many English forms it was dizzying, but as early as 1296 "Kateryna" was being used, along with "Kateline" and many others.

"Katheryn" made its first authenticated appearance in 1570. What I call "the renegade 'y'" was especially well-accepted in the Elizabethan period.

I adore many of the anomalous forms and spellings. How delicious is it that, as early as 1569, the name we know as "Felicia" appeared in England as "Fillys"!

Technically, one could call these archaic forms "made up", I suppose, but in some cases they were as well-accepted in their time as the spellings we accept now (which were also in a sense, "made up"-- at least, they weren't in the form they were in in their original languages of Greek or Latin or whatever.

Eo - thank you, very interesting.

I suppose it doesn't make much sense to discuss "original English spellings" from before spellings were standardised - was that ca. 1600?

Do you know when people began to pronounce 'th' as the soft 'th' instead of like a regular t? In general, that is, not just in the name Katherine?

Eo, Can you tell me more about the book "A Dictionary of English Surnames" and how much first name information is in it? I'm not that interested in surnames, but would like to read the section on Katherine/Catherine especially, as both names are well-used in our family.

Regarding THE BOOK: I ordered a copy on Tuesday from a B&N clerk who seemed to think he could get a copy of the revised edition for me. I received an email yesterday saying the book was in. Of course, after driving some distance to that store this morning (I had another errand in that vicinity anyway), I was offered BNW1, as I expected. The clerk who waited on me looked up the book on her computer and showed me a mention of the 7/2009 edition, but since I'm dealing with Amazon as well, I decided not to try again with B&N at this time.

Laura, what are you hearing about the availability of your new book?

Lovey: Chelsa is really interesting! So if it's not Italian, do you know any more about where it came from?

Crystal: I think I like Elsa better than Elsie. But in some sense, Elsie seems a fine name on it's own too.

I got my copy, and it's the first edition. I contacted Amazon customer service and they say I ordered the wrong edition and that I'll need to pay to send it back and then re-order the correct edition. I'm persisting.

Could you please let us know anything you know about the problem with Amazon sending the wrong edition? I'm sure you would have posted already if you knew the story, but it would be reassuring to know even that you were aware of the problem and that your publisher was working on it, or whatever the current status is. I was assuming it was an accidental/innocent Amazon slip-up and it would all be resolved, but my email from them saying it's my fault has left me feeling stranded.

I just looked at Amazon's website to see what they have for BNW (for about the 50th time!), and saw that they've changed the photo of the book back to BNW1. However, on the 8th, when most of us ordered our copy of BNW2, Amazon was showing the cover of BNW2 with the red "revised" circle in the upper left corner. The copy I ordered is supposed to arrive tomorrow, and I too will persist if Amazon says I have to pay to ship back BNW1.

Laura, I keep checking back to see if you have any new info on how we can get the book... But perhaps you're reluctant to give us any further info after this fiasco between Broadway Books and Amazon. It must be very disappointing after all the work you put into the revised edition to hear that those who ordered your NEW book after being assured that it would be the NEW book are having to hassle with Amazon now.

Oh! I have been away for a week, but ordered 2 copies of BNW2 sent to two addresses..( In addition to the FIVE BNW 1's that I have previously purchased from Amazon)- so before I brought my suitcase in- I sliced open the Amazon package...and it is the BNW1, of course.I will fight the good fight to return it free of charge, but I know the wrapping for my son's copy has already been trashed. I sure hope Brookline Booksmith comes through with the 2009 edition. I don't know maybe they should just name the baby Henry and be done with it!!:)

Where's the new book? ANYBODY HAVE IT? Please advise if you do... how did you get it?

I'm about to lose it – BNW1 arrived today! How can this be? I was so anticipating pouring over the revisions for the last month of my pregnancy, but no-sir-e-bob. I contacted Amazon via phone and was trying to tell the nice gal that answered my call when I ordered MY book there was photo of the 2nd edition up there... seriously there was. She was sympathetic and offered to re-sent me another book in hopes that it would be the revised edition, but her computer only showed them (Amazon) having the first, and couldn't guarantee it would be what I wanted. She also told me since the books have the same ISBN numbers, it is, for all practical purposes, impossible to tell the difference between the old (2005) and revised (2009) editions, and knowing which person will be send which book isn't an option for her. I told her I was assured Amazon would ONLY be sending out revised editions; that statement was met with a reserved silence as to say, "Okay, and who told you THAT?" Frustration station.

As I see it, for a speedy copy of the second edition I have to either, order an e-book (whatever that is), and print it; or stalk my local bookstore scouting for magenta circles (which was my original plan – btw)... and who knows how long that will take! ARG!

Oh yeah, make that "re-send."

I am so DISSAPOINTED!!!! I have been trying for the last week to track down this book, and no one has it. So I finally gave in and ordered it today on Amazon, what a mistake....I wish I would have looked at everyone's comments before ordering instead of after!!! I was so excited to get my book, I thought I would check and see what readers were saying about it, the lucky ones who had already gotten their hands on one. Boy was I shocked to see that everyone is getting the wrong book from Amazon!!!! Now I am going to have to deal with the hassle of returning it and being out the money I paid for over night shipping....too late to cancel my order...just tried and they said its too late.

Well, well, well, what have we here?
I don’t mean to brag, but I have a 2009 copy of the BNW in my grubby little hands!

I hate that I had to “sell-out” to the big guys; it really makes me sick since we share our building with an independent book store but... I called Barnes and Noble after my fiasco with Amazon (see previous post), thanks to a tip-off from a previous poster, and low and behold, the sales clerk tells me they have four copies of the newest edition, with the pink circle in the corner! So drove out of my downtown, all the way to (gasp!) “urban sprawl,” and got myself a copy. Beside the guilt I feel, I am somewhat cheered to think bookstores everywhere will soon have the revised edition on their shelves and I can buy another copy from my indie neighbor.

Crystal, Thanks for the tip! Immediately after reading your post I called the B&N closest to me (the same store I called last Tues. and was told that they didn't have the book and didn't know when they'd get it) -- and YES!, they have BNW2 with the red circle on the cover! They're holding 2 copies for me, which I'll pick up as soon as I get some cleaning done that has to be done today. So everyone, try the B&Ns near you.

There's still the matter of contacting Amazon about returning BNW1 which was deliverd last evening UPS, but that will have to wait until later today.

Just purchased 2 copies of BNW2 at a local B&N, after calling them to see if they had received any copies of the revised edition. I also had very good luck getting Amazon to send me a label to return the original BNW they sent me, with Amazon paying return postage. The number to call is 1-866-216-1072.

I hope everyone else can get their hands on the new edition soon.