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The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary Paperback – October 14, 2004

by Simon Winchester (Author)

131 customer reviews

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From the best-selling author of The Professor and the Madman, The Map That Changed the World, and Krakatoa comes a truly wonderful celebration of the English language and of its unrivaled treasure house, the Oxford English Dictionary.

Writing with marvelous brio, Winchester first serves up a lightning history of the English language--"so vast, so sprawling, so wonderfully unwieldy"--and pays homage to the great dictionary makers, from "the irredeemably famous" Samuel Johnson to the "short, pale, smug and boastful" schoolmaster from New Hartford, Noah Webster. He then turns his unmatched talent for story-telling to the making of this most venerable of dictionaries. In this fast-paced narrative, the reader will discover lively portraits of such key figures as the brilliant but tubercular first editor Herbert Coleridge (grandson of the poet), the colorful, boisterous Frederick Furnivall (who left the project in a shambles), and James Augustus Henry Murray, who spent a half-century bringing the project to fruition. Winchester lovingly describes the nuts-and-bolts of dictionary making--how unexpectedly tricky the dictionary entry for marzipan was, or how fraternity turned out so much longer and monkey so much more ancient than anticipated--and how bondmaid was left out completely, its slips found lurking under a pile of books long after the B-volume had gone to press. 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 unrivalled uber-dictionary.

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Editorial Reviews

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"Winchester's book is a wonderfully thorough account of the mechanics of dictionary compilation, the tribulations of a project of this scale, and the array of brilliant and often eccentric characters who brought it to completion."--The Dallas Morning News

"Full of engaging characters and incidents."--Wall Street Journal

"As inspiring as it is informative. A dazzling detective story and a poignant group portrait. A must-read for every language lover."--Seattle Times

"Devastatingly brilliant.... Fascinating, witty, extremely well-written.... Winchester makes words exciting. He obviously loves them."--The Boston Globe

"The extraordinary story of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary is a subject perfectly suited to Winchester's magpie mind.... It can be recommended in all seriousness to committed Scrabble players. Here, for instance, you will learn that the first edition closed with the definition of 'zyxt,' a Kentish dialect word for the past participle of the verb 'to see.' Here, too, you will find words like 'aa,' an obsolete term for a stream or watercourse. An affectionate and frankly partisan study of the making of a great dictionary."--Robert McCrumm, Los Angeles Times

"Winchester has no peer at illuminating massive and complex endeavors through the quirks and foibles of the brilliant and powerful personalities who carry them out."--Chicago Sun Times

"Winchester tells the story with great verve in an easy-going, anecdotal style that's delectably readable."--Christian Science Monitor

"Fascinatingly told. Winchester brings to life the trials and tribulations of creating the OED, particularly the never-dull personalities of those who were involved. Moreover, he delightfully, admiringly gives us an appreciation of the wonderfully adaptive, ever-expanding English language."--Forbes Magazine

"Supremely readable. Teeming with knowledge and alive with insights."--William F. Buckley, The New York Times Book Review

"Entrancing.... An engaging read...resonates with all the chauvinism and misgiving, the self-congratulation and self-doubt that emerge when we think about our language."--Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Simon Winchester is the author of the bestsellers The Map That Changed the World, The Professor and the Madman, and Krakatoa. He was a foreign correspondent for The Guardian and The Sunday Times and was based in Belfast, New Delhi, New York, London and Hong Kong. Winchester has written for Conde Nast Traveler, Smithsonian, and National Geographic.

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (October 14, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019517500X
ISBN-13: 978-0195175004
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 0.6 x 5.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 131 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #492,811 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #96 in Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Books & Reading > History of Books
- #227 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Literature
- #347 in Books > Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > English

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M. Cotone

Oh, I say!

September 22, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

An utter delight, if you love languages and linguistics and the often quirky personalities and strange behaviors of the uncommonly intelligent and life-long academic. If you don't find fascinating the study of the first nor yourself readily bemused by the second, you probably won't enjoy this book. Simply, it is the story of the conception and completion of what was and is, in all likelihood, the greatest lexicographical project ever undertaken and of the uncommon individuals who played major roles in it. I found it utterly fascinating and, at times, roll-on-the-floor funny, all told in style and tone perfectly suited to the tale. Well and delightfully done, Winchester!

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Brad Allen

Not Winchester's best Book

July 11, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Simon Winchester did an incredible job in The Map That Changed the World: William Smith and the Birth of Modern Geology (P.S.) of using a lively narrative to educate us on the relevance of a formerly unknown historical event. The Meaning of Everything seems to promise the same thing but ultimately did not deliver. I enjoyed the book and learned plenty about the Oxford English Dictionary and, for that matter, the English Language but it certainly was not as engaging as Winchester's other books.

The story of the Oxford English Dictionary is certainly unique. In many ways the approach, asking thousands of people to read books and submit quotes over a period of years, is far before its time and is right along the line of the crowd-sourcing now being used for things like Wikipedia. The story presents some interesting lessons on what to expect from the human nature of people involved in this sort of venture and is worth reading for that aspect alone.

In the end, it just seemed that there was not quite enough material to make this story as interesting as it could have been. I learned something, but was not inspired. I would definitely recommend The Map that Changed the World and Krakatoa over this book.

2 people found this helpful

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Lee W

Information, Interesting, Powerful Read

November 14, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Utterly fantastic, utterly engrossing, one of the best books I've ever read. One of the best of Simon Winchester's books and I've read most of them. I found the book riveting and it is wonderful when history can be brought to life in such a vibrant way. I read it on the Kindle Touch and it was fantastic to press so many words to check their meanings via the OED. Winchester's insight into how a dictionary is created and the time and involvement that were required to create the Oxford English Dictionary was fascinating. The character development of so many important people involved in the production of the first OED made the story very immediate and for anyone who loves the English language I reckon this book is a must.

One person found this helpful

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Mme Kate Schertz

For the love of language

September 15, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I absolutely loved this book. If you are a reader who cares about language you will love it as well. Be sure to watch the Toronto public television broadcast of the author presenting the book 0n YouTube. He's delightful and will add to your pleasure in reading the book. Our book club was divided about 60/40 on enjoying the book, with the larger percentage adored the book and the smaller simply finding it a little boring. It definitely is a book lovers book.

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Shopping Again

I'm a retired English professor, so this book about ...

August 3, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I'm a retired English professor, so this book about the creation of the Oxford English dictionary interested me. It's not everyone's cup of tea -- definitely not an exciting summer read. However, if you are interested in the history of English and how English as we know it evolved, this is a fascinating book.

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A Florida Reader

A Small, Marvelous Book

January 1, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Simon Winchester is one of the more popular non-fiction authors of our time and this is one of the books upon which he made his reputation. While apparently a rather small book, it deals in quite fascinating detail with the origins and development of the OED. While it does discuss how the OED was researched and how it's now legendary format and incredible amount of detail was developed, the book's primary focus is on the personalities that helped (or hindered) the gestation and birth of the OED. As usual Winchester is a master of story telling in his rather unique way. For those who are not very familiar with English tradition and culture, some causal references made by Winchester might be obscure and puzzling, but those willing to put in the time doing some Google research will be enlightened and entertained. Very much recommended as a good casual read.

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The Triumph of English

April 4, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The English language is now, and has been for some time, the world's language. This may grate with the Francophones of the world but it is, nevertheless, an indisputable fact.

Perhaps the greatest strength of English is that it is constantly evolving. New words and expressions come and go at a rate of knots. There is no equivalent of the Academie Francaise monitoring matters and trying to guide the language is certain directions. English is wonderfully malleable.

Yet for all its flexibility, every modern language needs certain basic rules or understandings in order that we can communicate in some common manner. To a large extent, these "rules" were laid out by the creators of the Oxford English Dictionary. In this regard, the chief driving force was James Murray who supervised the dictionary's first edition.

Simon Winchester has done a terrific job in covering the history of Murray's efforts and the trials and tribulations of the dictionary's creation. I can appreciate that many might think that a book about a dictionary could be overly dry. Do not be concerned. The book is interesting, sometimes whimsical and always fascinating. To all lovers of the English language, read this book.

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Most recent customer reviews

L. Nery

The development of EOD is the greatest star

Simon Winchester's prose is vivid and elegant as always. But the part of the book which I liked the most - overview of the history of the making of the OED - was already covered...Read more

Published 25 days ago

IreneMiller

An embarrassment for OED and Simon Winchester

Being a lover of words, their derivation, and their definitions, I was excited to read about this book in the recent Mensa journal.Read more

Published 1 month ago

Beverly Tracy

This Book Should be Everywhere!

Incredible book about and incredible work! Loved every bit of this.

Published 2 months ago

Michael E.

Five Stars

Wonderful reading.

Published 4 months ago

Amazon Customer

Unreadable due to the author’s acute case of logorrhea. ...

Unreadable due to the author’s acute case of logorrhea. It rambles, on and on and on, about everything other than what the book is ostensibly about.Read more

Published 7 months ago

Dr.G.

One of the most satisfying and substantive book ever written. One's mind is satisfied. A good meal for the brain. Don't miss thi

One of the most satisfying and substantive book ever written. One's mind is satisfied. A good meal for the brain. Don't miss this one.

Published 11 months ago

Frozen Gimp

Meh

I am a fan of the OED. I had heard that the story of its creation was compelling, so I was looking forward to this book.Read more

Published 1 year ago

Daniel

Five Stars

One of the best books I have ever read.

Published 1 year ago

Francis M. Naumann

Five Stars

Great book. Beautifully written and read.

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