Available Now!
Dances with Words
Playing live in San Diego
July 22-24
(Click here)
Richard’s latest book
American History for Everyone
(click here)
Richard’s revealing interview
in the San Diego Union-Tribune,
Nov 2nd
(click here)
Live Speaking Events

“Someone should declare Richard Lederer a national treasure” — Richmond Times-Dispatch
“America’s Wittiest Verbalist” — Book of the Month Club
“The true King of Language Comedy” — Sidney Sheldon
“America’s Top Pun” — Chicago Tribune
“Columnist Extraordinaire” — The New Yorker
“Lederer beguiles and bedazzles” — Los Angeles Times
Richard's Latest Column
Read “Lederer on Language” every other Saturday in the San Diego Union Tribune and right here
Here’s a chance for us to make beautiful music together
William Shakespeare began his comedy “Twelfth Night” with the line “If music be the food of love, play on!” About a century later, playwright William Congreve opened his comedy “The Mourning Bride” with the equally famous line “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast” (almost always misquoted as “the savage beast”). If music be the food of love, it is also the food of language. Music has charms that teem our tongues, course through our pens, and stream from our keyboards. To prove my point, here’s a little quiz. Use the 20 musical terms to fill in each blank that follows. band fiddle opera bandwagon harmony overture beat harp piper chime horn song chorus jazz Jazz sung dance key

Come through the entrance of my website. I guarantee it will entrance you.
Find my upcoming live performances—learning dressed up to have fun.
Acquire my books, which I sign and, if so desired, inscribe.
Access my “Lederer on Language” columns, which go way back.
And if you send me a message, I promise to respond.