Name: The Meaning of Everything
ISBN: 9780195175004

Simon Winchester

Traces the history of the Oxford English Dictionary from its earliest inception through its long path to completion, describes the process of creating a dictionary, and includes anecdotes about its creators and their work.

The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

The Meaning of Everything

"We visit the ugly corrugated iron structure that Murray grandly dubbed the Scriptorium -- the Scrippy or the Shed, as locals called it -- and meet some of the legion of volunteers, from Fitzedward Hall, a bitter hermit obsessively devoted to the OED, to W.C. Minor, whose story is one of dangerous madness, ineluctable sadness, and ultimate redemption. The Meaning of Everything is a scintillating account of the creation of the greatest monument ever erected to a living language. Simon Winchester's supple, vigorous prose illuminates this dauntingly ambitious project -- a seventy-year odyssey to create the grandfather of all word-books, the world's unrivaled uber-dictionary. Book jacket."--Jacket.

Katherine Yang

Was interrupted halfway through this a while ago, for some reason, but I keep thinking about it! I love love love the way the author explains the history, sociology, anthropology, and most importantly, fascinatingly entertaining stories about how the English language came to be. Note to self to finish this soon!

The Meaning of Everything The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary