The Dictionary People - The unsung heroes who created the Oxford English Dictionary
Verlag | Random House UK |
Auflage | 2023 |
Seiten | 384 |
Format | 15,3 x 23,4 x 2,7 cm |
Trade paperback (UK) | |
Gewicht | 473 g |
Artikeltyp | Englisches Buch |
EAN | 9781784744946 |
Bestell-Nr | 78474494UA |
'Enthralling and exuberant ... Here is a wonder-book for word-lovers' Jeanette Winterson
'Utterly fascinating, entertaining, astonishing and as clever as a box of monkeys ... I completely love it' Joanna Lumley
What do three murderers, Karl Marx's daughter and a vegetarian vicar have in common?
They all helped create the Oxford English Dictionary.
The Oxford English Dictionary has long been associated with elite institutions and Victorian men. But the Dictionary didn't just belong to the experts; it relied on contributions from members of the public. By 1928, its 414,825 entries had been crowdsourced from a surprising and diverse group of people, from astronomers to murderers, naturists, pornographers, suffragists and queer couples.
Lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie dives deep into previously untapped archives to tell a people's history of the OED. Here, she reveals, for the first time, the full story of the making of one of the most famous books in th e world - and celebrates the extraordinary efforts of the Dictionary People.
__ A Financial Times, TLS and Daunt Books Book of the Year 2023 __
'Full marks to Sarah Ogilvie... guaranteed to grab those of us obsessed with books, language and mystery' Financial Times
'[An] astonishing book' Sunday Times
'Touching ... The oddities [of language] enliven the book' Observer _Book of the Day_
'[An] affectionate and accomplished book' TLS
'Engaging' Spectator
'Marvellous, witty and wholly original' Alan Rusbridger
'Glorious and surprising' Richard Ovenden, Bodley's Librarian and author of Burning the Books
'A fascinating and delightful exploration of the Victorian world ... Wonderful' Nicola Shulman, TLS Podcast
Rezension:
Sarah Ogilvie has brought to centre stage a gallery of remarkable characters quite as astonishing, hilarious, terrifying and beguiling as any found in Dickens. The "ordinary" people who helped create the Oxford English Dictionary reveal themselves to be anything but ordinary. At the back of it all we are reminded that words themselves are not abstract units of meaning, they are every bit as alive, elusive and enchanting as the people who devote themselves to their study. The Dictionary People serves also, incidentally, as a marvellous record of the incidentals, the daily details, manners and modes of 19th century life. An unmissable wonderful achievement. Stephen Fry