Edmund Weiner

Peter Gilliver

Jeremy Marshall

Three senior editors at the Oxford English Dictionary examine Tolkien's career as a lexicographer who spent two years on the staff of the OED, analyze its influence on his creative use of language in his fictional works, and probe the origins and meaning of such Tolkienesque words as "hobbit," "Ent," and "mithril."

Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary

The Ring of Words

This book tells the history of the Oxford English Dictionary from its beginnings in the middle of the nineteenth century to the present. The author, uniquely among historians of the OED, is also a practising lexicographer with nearly thirty years' experience of working on the Dictionary. He has drawn on a wide range of sources--including previously unexamined archival material and eyewitness testimony--to create a detailed history of the project. The book explores the cultural background from which the idea of a comprehensive historical dictionary of English emerged, the lengthy struggles to bring this concept to fruition, and the development of the book from the appearance of the first printed fascicle in 1884 to the launching of the Dictionary as an online database in 2000 and beyond. It also examines the evolution of the lexicographers' working methods, and provides much information about the people--many of them remarkable individuals--who have contributed to the project over the last century and a half.

The Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

E. S. C. Weiner

This text reveals how his professional work on the Oxford English Dictionary influenced Tolkien's creative use of language in his fictional world. Three senior editors of the OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien's career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity.

Peter Gilliver

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