A brilliant and personal literary journey, in which Philip Dodd tells the curious tales of people whose names—deliberately or by chance—became household words
What’s in a name? For Philip Dodd, this question led to an international tour, sleuthing the history of some of our most intriguing eponyms. The result is a collection of surprising, stranger-than-fiction stories from history, the arts, the halls of science, and sometimes simply the realm of serendipity. This armchair traveler’s delight contains little-known tales of such immortal figures as:
· Roy Jacuzzi, alive and well and still bubbling with ideas in Happy Valley, California
· Joseph P. Frisbie, the baker whose pie tins inspired Wham-O’s ubiquitous flying disc
· Ernst Gräfenberg, for whom the G-spot was named • Samuel Maverick, the Texas pioneer who refused to brand his calves
· And many other colorful figures
From Belgium to Buenos Aires, from Orlando to Los Angeles, Dodd’s readers go along for the ride. What’s In a Name? is a marvelous tribute to people who changed our language—whether through hard work, creativity, or the luck of the draw.

A brilliant and personal literary journey, in which Philip Dodd tells the curious tales of people whose names—deliberately or by chance—became household words
What’s in a name? For Philip Dodd, this question led to an international tour, sleuthing the history of some of our most intriguing eponyms. The result is a collection of surprising, stranger-than-fiction stories from history, the arts, the halls of science, and sometimes simply the realm of serendipity. This armchair traveler’s delight contains little-known tales of such immortal figures as:
· Roy Jacuzzi, alive and well and still bubbling with ideas in Happy Valley, California
· Joseph P. Frisbie, the baker whose pie tins inspired Wham-O’s ubiquitous flying disc
· Ernst Gräfenberg, for whom the G-spot was named • Samuel Maverick, the Texas pioneer who refused to brand his calves
· And many other colorful figures
From Belgium to Buenos Aires, from Orlando to Los Angeles, Dodd’s readers go along for the ride. What’s In a Name? is a marvelous tribute to people who changed our language—whether through hard work, creativity, or the luck of the draw.