MURPHY'S AND RAWSON'S "UNWRITTEN LAWS"



Hugh Rawson, the author of WICKED WORDS, DEVIOUS DERIVATIONS, RAWSON'S

DICTIONARY OF EUPHEMISM & OTHER DOUBLETALK, and the AMERICAN

HERITAGE

DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN QUOTATIONS, has come out with:



UNWRITTEN LAWS: THE UNOFFICIAL RULES OF LIFE AS HANDED DOWN BY

MURPHY AND

OTHER SAGES (290 pages, $22, Crown Publishers, 1997).



I was going to review it, but let's just say it's an O. K rehash of

books that have already been written. In 1978, Paul Dickson wrote THE

OFFICIAL RULES. In 1979, Harold Faber wrote THE BOOK OF LAWS. Also in 1979,

John Peers wrote 1001 LOGICAL LAWS, ACCURATE AXIOMS, PROFOUND PRINCIPLES,

TRUSTY TRUISMS, HOMEY HOMILIES, COLORFUL COROLLARIES, QUOTABLE

QUOTES, AND

RAMBUNCTIOUS RUMINATIONS FOR ALL WALKS OF LIFE. Give Rawson credit for at

least acknowledging these books on page 269.

The only law I'm interested in is Murphy's Law. We discussed it earlier

this year, and I'm still not convinced.

The U. S. Navy's MURPHY'S LAW training film in 1957 is clear, but the

1949 story puzzles me. Supposedly, Captain Edward A. Murphy, Jr. worked

under Colonel John P. Stapp at Edwards Air Force Base; Murphy screwed in

things the wrong way. The original law was that if there are two ways of

doing something (right and wrong), someone will do it the wrong way.

Check the HDAS H-O 1957 citation from the Tamony Collection. Peter

Tamony (in nearby San Francisco) was a master at collecting Americanisms.

How could "Murphy's Law" have completely escaped him for eight years? And

why is the Edward A. Murphy, Jr. story coming out as late as 1978?? If

"Murphy's Law" was used in manufacturers' ads--WHERE ARE THOSE ADS??

I tried to check sportswriter Jack Murphy of the San Diego Union, who

gave his name to Jack Murphy Stadium. The Library of Congress started

getting the San Diego newspaper in 1958. When I asked why, the LOC librarian

replied "state capital and two major cities" (Sacramento, San Francisco, and

Los Angeles). San Diego has a football team, a baseball team, a major

military installation--I can't explain the LOC!! When I checked Murphy's

column in 1958, I did NOT find a Murphy's Law in the title nor in the copy.

Until I find an earlier citation, the 1949 story remains an unsupported

hypothesis.