Madeline Faith Kripke (September 9, 1943 – April 25, 2020) was an American book collector who held one of the world's largest collections of dictionaries.
[1] In fifth grade, she recalled receiving a Webster's Collegiate Dictionary from her parents, which she said "unlocked the world for me".
[6] Simon Winchester said that her collection of slang dictionaries represented "the very living and breathing edge of the English language".
[6] After graduating from college, Kripke held several jobs, including as a welfare case worker and a teacher.
[1] Kripke was a founding member of the Dictionary Society of North America and attended every meeting for nearly forty years.