Dictionaries (2): Writing and Reading

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) wasn't constructed in isolation. James Murray and his team's opus drew heavily upon, and finally replaced, Dr Johnson's Dictionary.


It took 70 years to produce the first edition of the OED, as I discussed in my last post. But that's only part of the tale. 

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I came upon Henry Hitchings' Defining the World: The Extraordinary Story of Dr Johnson's Dictionary (aka  Dr Johnson's Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story of the Book that Defined the World) while on holiday in England. With pride of place on a display table close to the bookshop entrance, it was hard to miss. Johnson redefined dictionary-making and his over-the-top tale of too-high expectations and too-little money would be mirrored by Murray and the OED.

"In this lively and erudite survey, Hitchings embraces the vitality of Johnson's language, unravelling roots and meanings with energy and enthusiasm ... [urging] the reader ... to re-engage with the vitality of the English language." Gemma Read (Observer)

History is only one facet of the story. There's plenty to read and read about when it comes to the OED.

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For example, last year, I came upon Ammon Shea's Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, a magnificent tale of worsening eyesight and dictionary-reading. Letter by letter, we're treated to a summary of Shea's reading experience along with some of the best words the letter has to offer. A logolept's (diary par extraordinaire. At less than 250 pages, this great read was too short to my taste.

"[O]nly a man who lives and breathes dictionaries could have completed the task ... [and s]omewhere near the word 'avenge' he experienced ... proof that spending ten hours a day squinting at a dictionary is unhealthy when his vision turned grey for several hours. ... [A] tale of physical deterioration, endless cups of coffee and emotional disintegration." Ben Hoyle (The Sunday Times)

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During a recent visit to Massachusetts, I landed upon Lynda Mugglestone's Lost for Words: The Hidden History of the Oxford English Dictionary. I hear a periodic screech from the bookshelf as this scholarly tome demands to be read.

"Mugglestone describes the chance discovery that motivated her to write Lost for Words: innumerable proof sheets, ... letters and other archival resources [at the Oxford University Press and Bodleian Library]. Mugglestone imparts particularly well the endless controversy over the dictionary's scope versus time constraints." Katherine Bailey (HistoryNet)

There's more to dictionaries than meets the eye. You can read them, read about them, and learn about the logistics making them readable.

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♥ ♥ ♥ ♥  Defining the World: The Extraordinary Story of Dr Johnson's Dictionary (aka  Dr Johnson's Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story of the Book that Defined the World). Predecessor to the OED, the history of Johnson's dictionary is no less extraordinary. Nor less important.

♥ ♥ ♥  Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages. This is dedication. Entire days spent at home and in the New York Public Library. Shea read the books, not an on-line version. Take one look yourself, and you'll understand why he began having eyesight problems: a variety of typefaces, myriad abbreviations, Greek, and more. It gave me the urge to read a dictionary, but something way smaller.

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Books mentioned

• Defining the World: The Extraordinary Story of Dr Johnson's Dictionary (aka  Dr Johnson's Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story of the Book that Defined the World)
• Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages
• Lost for Words: The Hidden History of the Oxford English Dictionary