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The Dictionary People: The unsung heroes who created the Oxford English Dictionary (Hardback)
Sarah Ogilvie (author)Published: 07/09/2023
Tracing the lives and stories of a horde of unlikely contributors to the first Oxford English Dictionary, Ogilvie's endlessly fascinating and highly entertaining volume features madmen and murderers, suffragists and pornographers, vicars and vegetarians.
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2024
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; its longest-serving editor, James Murray, devoted 36 years to the project, as far as the letter T. But the Dictionary didn't 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 people's 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.
Publisher: Vintage Publishing
ISBN: 9781784744939
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 611 g
Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 35 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Marvellous… An unmissable, wonderful achievement - Stephen Fry
Proof that not only do our words have extraordinary lives, but so do the people who have documented them for us. A lively, entertaining, and illuminating read. I loved it - Susie Dent
Brilliant - Philippa Perry
Utterly fascinating, entertaining, astonishing and as clever as a box of monkeys... I am bowled over by Sarah Ogilvie's book and every home should have a copy. I completely love it - Joanna Lumley
Astonishing - Kathryn Hughes, The Sunday Times
Who knew such mysteries lay behind the Oxford English Dictionary? This is a fascinating, unique and original book which uncovers the people behind the words. A jaw-dropping cross-section of society are revealed for the first time in all their complexity - Janina Ramirez, author of Femina
Fascinating - Observer
Exquisitely written ... A lively, funny book full of eccentrics - Jamaica Kincaid
The Dictionary People is a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in dictionaries, social history or just people. Sarah Ogilvie has found a great subject and done it justice - Literary Review
Enthralling and exuberant, Sarah Ogilvie tells the surprising story of the making of the OED. Philologists, fantasists, crackpots, criminals, career spinsters, suffragists, and Australians: here is a wonder-book for word-lovers - Jeanette Winterson
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“Captivating and detaiked”
The Dictionary People is an absolute delight. I was intrigued from start to finish and have learned so much from a book packed with detail. Sarah Ogilvie has taken such a unique slant; identifying individuals who... More
“An A-Z of OED Contributors, including the C for Cannibal and M for Murderer...”
When Sarah Ogilvie was saying goodbye to her job and colleagues at the Oxford University Press, she wandered into the basement where the Oxford English Dictionary archive was kept and opened an old dusty box at... More
“Lexicographical nerdiness”
The Dictionary People is an A to Z exploration of the people who contributed to the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary in the late 19th century and early 20th century. There's so much research in this... More
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