

Latin's Hidden Superpower
It's no coincidence that when America decided Latin was too "old fashioned," the humanities stopped producing great minds.
Erica Abbett
Apr 8, 2025


I Never Want My Son to Touch an iPad Again (It's Worse Than You Think)
Something has felt instinctively "off" about society's relationship with technology for a long time. I tried (and failed) to delete Vocabbett's social media accounts after New Year's because of it. But businesses need clients, and today, they all live online. More importantly, my refraining from the (already rare) Instagram post did nothing to make my 5-year-old son stop asking for "iPad," or talking ad nauseam about his "pets" in Bottle and Minecraft. Before you gasp and say
Erica Abbett
Apr 2, 2025


Thoughts on a Potential Pivot? ("Renaissance Revival")
Hello wonderful Vocabbett readers, Ever since launching Vocabbett Annotated Classics , which have been selling wonderfully, I've been...
Erica Abbett
Apr 1, 2025


Introducing: Annotated Shakespeare (Beginning With Macbeth!)
The moment I began annotating classic novels, people started asking, "Why don't you do Shakespeare?"
"It's been done!" I'd reply.
Erica Abbett
Feb 20, 2025


How to Send a Book to Kindle
Did you know you can support your favorite author by buying directly from their website? That's right! Amazon even makes it easy with this simple link: www.amazon.com/sendtokindle ! It takes about 5 seconds longer than buying the book on Amazon, but your favorite authors will thank you forever. For instance, here is the link to my shop , where you can buy things directly from Vocabbett. Here's how to do it: Download the book (from the thank-you page or your email) Go to ...
Erica Abbett
Feb 16, 2025


Conquer the Classics (I'll Pay You!)
You know that book you've always wanted to read, but haven't yet gotten around to? For many of us, that book is a classic, but we shy away because we're (secretly or openly) scared we won't understand it. Fear not, my friends, for I am here to help. I've spent the past 18 months painstakingly annotating classic novels, adding definitions and explanations at the bottom of each page to make sure you can fully understand and appreciate their brilliance. So far, I've done: The I
Erica Abbett
Feb 4, 2025


Why I Deleted Vocabbett's Social Media Accounts
We all know what a Trojan horse is, and if you've ever had a good history teacher, you know to beware Greeks bearing gifts. But that's an ancient proverb with absolutely no relevance today...right? WRONG! In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. I'm only ashamed it took me so long to make this obvious connection. Social media is a modern-day Trojan horse. It looks pretty on the outside (especially on Instagram), and it seems like a gift--after all, it's free! But w
Erica Abbett
Jan 13, 2025


2025 Goals: Annotated Classics
Having recently completed my 2024 recap , it's time to write my 2025 goals! My focus will remain on Vocabbett Classics , where I annotate classic novels to make them more accessible to modern readers. Once I have a large enough collection, I'm going to start approaching schools and school districts, suggesting that they swap their existing editions with my brilliantly-annotated alternative. At the moment, there are quite a few A-list books missing, and I don't want to waste a
Erica Abbett
Dec 20, 2024


2024 in Review (And 5 Years of Vocabbett!)
To my utter amazement, Vocabbett turned five years old this year! And while it can be easy to lose oneself in the day-to-day, I love pausing over the holidays to look back at big-picture accomplishments. At the beginning of the year, I likened building a business to tending a field. There are different seasons for planting, growing, and harvesting--and I wanted 2024 to be a year of growth. My biggest project this year was Vocabbett Classics, where I annotate classic novels,
Erica Abbett
Dec 17, 2024