FUN

 Off topic: The rich annotations of the University of Glasgow Library's Book of the Month archive ; the economics of pinball ; and Broadway actor Lin-Manuel Miranda performing an Alexander Hamilton rap at the White House. A half-century of brochures from theme parks around the U.S., a vintage doll reference , and Significant Objects . Also, beating out contenders like "sexting," "freemium," "teabagger" and "tramp stamp," the 2009 Oxford Word of the Year is "unfriend."

NEXT ISSUE DECEMBER 7th. 2009