The Dictionary People. The Unsung Heroes Who Created The Oxford English Dictionary

Cover Type: Softcover
Book Condition: Fine
Jacket Condition: None Issued
Publisher: CHATTO & WINDUS
Publisher Place: London
Publisher Year: 2023
Edition: First Edition

Description: 368 pages. Book appears to have hardly been read and is in Fine condition throughout.

Publishers Description: What do three murderers, Karl Marxs daughter and a vegetarian vicar have in commonThey all helped create the Oxford English Dictionary.The Oxford English Dictionary has long been associated with elite institutions and Victorian men; its longest-serving editor, James Murray, devoted 36 years to the project, as far as the letter T. But the Dictionary didnt just belong to the experts; it relied on contributions from members of the public. By the time it was finished in 1928 its 414,825 entries had been crowdsourced from a surprising and diverse group of people, from archaeologists and astronomers to murderers, naturists, novelists, pornographers, queer couples, suffragists, vicars and vegetarians.Lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie dives deep into previously untapped archives to tell a peoples history of the OED. She traces the lives of thousands of contributors who defined the English language, from the eccentric autodidacts to the family groups who made word-collection their passion. With generosity and brio, Ogilvie reveals, for the first time, the full story of the making of one of the most famous books in the world - and celebrates to sparkling effect the extraordinary efforts of the Dictionary People.

ISBN: 9781784744946