This is the most wide-ranging account yet published of the creation of one of the great canonical works of the twentieth century.
The Oxford English Dictionary occupies a special place in the history of English, cultural as well as linguistic. This collection sets out to explore the pioneering endeavors in both lexicography and lexicology which led to the making of its first edition. Making use of much unpublished archive material, the essays brings a wide variety of perspectives to bear upon the OED, and the particular problems posed by the attempt to break new ground in its formation.
The Oxford English Dictionary occupies a special place in the history of English, cultural as well as linguistic. This collection sets out to explore the pioneering endeavors in both lexicography and lexicology which led to the making of its first edition. Making use of much unpublished archive material, the essays brings a wide variety of perspectives to bear upon the OED, and the particular problems posed by the attempt to break new ground in its formation.