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The Compact Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary, Complete Text Reproduced Micrographically (in slipcase with reading glass) 2nd Edition

by E. S. C. Weiner (Editor), J. A. Simpson (Editor)

4.2 133 ratings

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Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. B2-C2 - Wörterbuch (Festeinband): Ohne Oxford Speaking Tutor und Oxford Writing Tutor
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Note: For this ISBN, kindly use the magnifying glass which is provided along with the book.

When the twenty-volume Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, appeared years ago, the public response was extraordinary. The AP and UPI announced publication over their newswires. Time and Newsweek ran full-page articles. The New Yorker published an extensive essay. Virtually every major paper in American and in Great Britain covered the event. And from every corner, the praise was lavish. Time called it "a scholarly Everest." Newsweek, "a celebration of language." And Herbert Mitgang, in The New York Times, called the new OED "the last word on words" and "the arbiter of the English language as it is read and spoken all over the world."

Now comes the Compact Edition of OED II, which captures all the wealth of scholarship found in the original edition in just one volume. The Compact is not an abridgement, but a direct photoreduction of the entire 20-volume set, with nine pages of the original on every nine-by-twelve page of the Compact (a magnifying glass comes with it). As in the Second Edition, the Compact combines in one alphabetical sequence the sixteen volumes of the first OED and the four Supplements--plus an extra five thousand new words to bring this monumental dictionary completely up to date. And it is monumental, with definitions of 500,000 words, 290,000 main entries, 137,000 pronunciations, 249,300 etymologies, 577,000 cross-references, and over 2,412,000 illustrative quotations. But as large as it is, perhaps its most important feature is its historical focus. The OED records not only words and meanings currently in use but also those that have long been considered obsolete. Moreover, under each definition of a word is a chronologically arranged group of quotations that illustrate the word's usage down through the years, beginning with its earliest known appearance. The result is a dictionary that offers unique insight into the way our language has, over the centuries, grown, changed, and been put to use.

More than 100 years in the making, The Oxford English Dictionary is now universally acknowledged as the world's greatest dictionary--the supreme arbiter on the usage and meaning of English words, a fascinating guide to the history and evolution of the language, and one of the greatest works of scholarship ever produced. The Washington Post has written that "no one who reads or writes seriously can be without the OED." Now with the Compact, the world's greatest dictionary is within the reach of anyone who wants one.

ISBN-10

0198612583
ISBN-13

978-0198612582
Edition

2nd
Publisher

Oxford University Press
Publication date

December 5, 1991
Language

English
Dimensions

18 x 11 x 3.6 inches
Print length

2424 pages
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Proper words in their proper places--and a good many improper ones, too! If the OED's many obsolete definitions tend to be the most enjoyable--shuff is dialect for "shy," dolt was once upon a time a verb as well, meaning "to befool"--everyday idiosyncrasies still abound. But, for instance, occupies nine columns of text, and who would wish a single line away? There's also the sublime pleasure of trawling through the sea of relevant quotations. The OED's initial team of "voluntary readers" was asked to cite as many phrases as possible for both archaic and ordinary terms. None seems to have found this remotely arduous, and we now reap the ubiquitous ("present or appearing everywhere; omnipresent") rewards. This huge venture is a labor of lore, love, and good humor. One caveat: If you skip over the Historical Introduction, you'll miss learning about the Unregistered Words Committee, and overlook the wry warning, "If there is any truth in the old Greek maxim that a large book is a great evil, English dictionaries have been steadily growing worse ever since their inception...."

Review

From the reviews of the Second Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary: `The gigantic total picture of the English language...an epic achievement.' Anthony Burgess, Observer`The greatest dictionary in any language.' Geoffrey Wheatcroft, Daily Telegraph`A stupendous achievement.' William Golding, Evening Standard`The greatest reference book ever written.' Stephen Jay Gould, Nature`A national treasure.' New Statesman and Society`Has no real rival in any language.' Godfrey Smith, Sunday Times`One of the wonders of the world...the thing's a triumph.' Richard Boston, Guardian'This is the best.' Philip Howard, The Times'one of the wonders of the modern world ... it is fun to plunge into this colossal book and be ambushed by some unknown word or variation at the turn of every page or, in the case of the Compact edition, of every nine pages. This is a book all literate people will want to give themselves for Christmas, if they cannot persuade anyone else to give it to them. And the OUP should be given the Nobel prize, or something better.' Illustrated London News'virtually impossible to fault ... this is simply the finest dictionary around' Ian Shuttleworth, City Limits

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (December 5, 1991)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 2424 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198612583
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198612582
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 17.95 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 18 x 11 x 3.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #390,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #50 in Dictionaries (Books)
- #190 in English Dictionaries & Thesauruses

Customer Reviews:
4.2 133 ratings

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4.2 out of 5

133 global ratings

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Nixta

Fails to disappoint

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2006

Verified Purchase

I've wanted one of these beasts since I was about 12 and saw one at a friend's house. Quite aside from the content, it's beautiful. A work of love and tremendous labour.

I'm surprised by those that complain that it's hard to lug around. It belongs on a writing desk or its own plinth. It should never move more than 2 feet. Oxford University Press publish many abridged versions that cater to the more mobile readership.

Remember, this is a 20 volume book squished into one (more on that in a moment). The print will be small. I have nearly perfect eyesight though and having arrived off a long-haul flight the other day to find this waiting for me, I must admit that tiredness did indeed necessitate use of the magnifying glass. However, I just tried again and can read it just fine in good light without any artificial aid.

Now. Amazon. Dear dear me. When one pays $217 (the price has gone up in the past couple of days, I see) for a delicate gem of a book (remember, you started life as booksellers, after all), even though that book should cost nearly twice as much, one does not expect some intern to have removed it from its packaging, and stuck two security tags in it. One on a page over the tiny exquisite print (a delicate operation to remove without apparent damage). One in the box at the back. Nor indeed does one expect this process to have folded the accompanying guidebook in two. Furthermore (and worse still) a number of the pages of the dictionary itself had been folded en-masse, presumably also during this clumsy tagging process. Fortunately, the book is so heavy and well made that the pages appear to have been rescued by gravity and a night on its side, but I'm nonetheless displeased as the guide still looks like it's accompanied me on a long train journey, stuffed into a trouser pocket and slept upon in the mid-day sun.

Tut tut.

I've seldom been more pleased with a book purchase though. I just wish Amazon had treated it a little better but: Pay money, get choice.

UPDATE: The photo is now accurate - here's what I had to say about it originally: Ah. Yes. The photos on the product page. Now, I should have done my research and perhaps realised that OUP no longer produce the two-volume edition and I was going to get a single volume. The photos here at Amazon showing two volumes with a drawer for the magnifying glass (to be honest, the bit I actually liked aged twelve) are out-of-date. This is a single volume edition with a loose magnifying glass that must find its own place to rest.

123 people found this helpful

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RGM

Something I should have purchased earlier

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2005

Verified Purchase

This is the pinnacle of scholarship concerning our language. It is an awe inspiring feeling to know that you can hold in your hands THE authority concerning our vocabulary. This is a marvelous tool that I have thoroughly enjoyed. That said, there are two compromises you must be willing to make to enjoy this dictionary. First, the typeface is incredibly small. I have better than 20/20 vision and it is still difficult for me to read the largest of print in the main body of the text unaided. As a side, the accompanying magnifier is wholly inadequate. Be prepared to invest in a good magnifying glass with 3x or greater magnification. Second, the size of the book is quite large. This is not a book you will be paging through on your lap on a lazy afternoon. If you can get past these hurdles, there is not a better dictionary for our language. And Amazon is, hands down, the best place to purchase this. I received my dictionary in 2 days for $100 less than the nearest competitor.

34 people found this helpful

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sneaky-sneaky

The OED is OG

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2007

Verified Purchase

Well, I've owned it and used it for over two years now, and the results are in. This is all twenty volumes of the OED micrographed into one volume that weighs about 15 pounds. It is a great piece of engineering next to the singular feat of its scope and price on Amazon. They beat bookstore discounters by over a hundred bucks so what you are getting on Amazon is a must for those serious about words. The magnifying glass provided is adequate, but you can always purchase a more powerful one at a flea market or something. In combination with your "Chicago Manual of Style" and Strunk & White you pretty much have a literary career covered. The spinoffs are also worthwhile, "The Professor and the Madman" is another great read. This is one of the originals and is still relevant amidst the Internet era of Wiki and Google; it is their intellectual grandparent.

8 people found this helpful

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Mary McKinnon

Great Christmas gift!

Reviewed in the United States on May 20, 2023

Verified Purchase

My husband loves this for his Christmas gift. The 4 stars is that the print is *very* small and the magnifier that comes with the book isn't very useful. I had to purchase another one to be able to read it. They have taken each page of the full edition and miniaturized it.

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Timothy Berg

I would Contact seller directly to ensure accuracy of description ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

I would Contact seller directly to ensure accuracy of description. My copy was shipped and did not come with the slipcase, or the magnifying glass, though item is listed as having both. The book is so large that the binding will soon fail without the case, and since 9 full pages are shrunk into one, it is humanly impossible to read without the magnifying glass, making my $150 purchase effectively worthless. Lesson learned - check before buying.

7 people found this helpful

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Richard W. Martin

waiting happily for my copy ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2008

Verified Purchase

i had the old version back 20 or so years ago. i am waiting somewhat joyously for the new, to replace my 'shorter oxford english dictionary'. my sight (at 52) is *not* great - i think i have 20 pairs of reading glasses around. but if it were greater, and i had a lot more money, and space, i would have bought the big one (well, ones). if you go in knowing you have to understand what you/re getting, the smaller oxford is great. the old edition never bothered me. but, once again, that is me.

but the quality of dictionary can *not* be misunderstood. even with my degrees in latin and greek, and a long knowledge of anglo-saxon, i always find i can read the oxford dictionaries as if they were a novel. new knowledge everywhere. wish i were involved.

can/t wait for the new one.

3 people found this helpful

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Hominid Philosophiae

The ONLY English dictionary you'll ever need

Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2016

Verified Purchase

A gift for my son, who loves words as much as I do. I have "only" the "original" compact edition of the OED, so I had to buy the four (!) supplements that have been included in this compact edition (PLUS the dome magnifier is superior to the magnifying glass that was supplied with "my" edition). This set takes up LESS space than many "ordinary" (viz., not microprinted) English dictionaries. It is THE definitive dictionary to own; if you can only own one (and that's all most people want to own), THIS IS THE ONE.

21 people found this helpful

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Smh Dkts

Simply great. Read the description of the product and know what to expect.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2023

Verified Purchase

First two advantages: not only the whole 20-volume set is expensive but also you need lots of space to keep them while the compact version, even if it is giant for a book, occupies far less space. Besides if you are that kind of dictionary geek who loves to open random pages and read random definitions, having everything in just one book is better than having them separated in 20 books one of which you must "pick" beforehand. As for the print, definitions are actually readible with naked eye if you don't have any problems with your eyesight. Quotations are much smaller though - still can be read with naked eye but push the limit. If you don't want to strain your eyes, just use magnifying glass or smartphone, tablet, etc. My only complain is that they could have left less blank spaces between "the pages" (I mean 9 micrographically reproduced pages of the original OED) and thus used at least slightly "larger" fonts but it's no big deal anyway. It is great to have this treasure of the English language "financially accessible" in just one piece.

簾

英語辞書の最高峰

Reviewed in Japan on November 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

読んでいる本に出てくる単語が辞書に載っていないことが時々あり、
英語の歴史や歴史的英語にも興味があるので、購入しました。

Compact とは縮刷版ということですが、それでも我が家の辞書の中では最大になりました。
写真の左端が今まで使っていた中型英和辞典ですが、豆粒のようです・・・

いわゆる 9 アップで印刷されています。
オリジナル OED の２ページが１枚のはがきに収まるサイズです。

細かい字ですが、十分に明瞭な印刷です。
紙はやや厚めで、裏の文字が透けて見えて邪魔、ということはありません。

近眼の私は、明るいところなら直にも読めないことはありませんが、
付属のルーペは役に立ちます。

英語とは思えない Old English から、綴りや変化形の歴史など、詳しく述べられています。
現代英語だけが興味なら、牛刀割鶏かもしれません。

5 people found this helpful

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D. Smith

It grows on you...

Reviewed in Canada on May 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

There are so many cons to a purchase like this. The book is unwieldy: it is large and heavy. Your desk would have to be three times the standard size to open it comfortably. The print is small. Ants need glasses to read it.

'Compact' is not the word I would use to describe it. Basically it takes all 20 volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary, which to buy eliminates your kid's college fund, and it puts it in a vice and squeezes into one volume. Nine pages Oxford English Dictionary = One page Compact Oxford English Dictionary. What is cute and maybe slightly sadistic: the introductory pages have even been condensed too. There is nothing in this book that hasn't been shrunk!

They provide a magnifying glass. It is heavy and it takes the print from ant scrawl to Winnipeg horsefly scrawl. If you are in your 30's and 40's it is doable. But in your 50's you need to take off your glasses and put your nose next to the glass as you whirl it around the page.

So what makes this dictionary so gosh darn fun? You feel like Merlin ruminating over an esoteric book of spells. You have your magnifying glass and book out on the kitchen table. It is in the early hours and the house isn't awake. You open it up and glide your glass over the pages stopping to here and there. Pausing. Thinking. Soaking in words and roots you never knew existed. You visit old friends and learn something new. You make new friends and try to remember their names and their meanings but you know you won't before the glass slides over to a new word.

Do you have options?. Sure you can buy the Oxford Dictionary in 20 volumes plus supplements. It is rather like putting a baby grand piano in your house and having to brace the floor. Make sure the shelves can take the weight. You can buy it on CD-
ROM but the reviews are lukewarm. And you can buy it as a monthly or yearly online subscription that is equivalent to buying the 'compact version' every year.

So why buy an ant scrawl dictionary that comes with a bulbous archaic magnifying glass that ouijis over the pages? Because I haven't had such a good time in a book since I can remember.

22 people found this helpful

Amo.S

Good Buy!

Reviewed in India on September 6, 2017

Verified Purchase

The dictionary, being something I'd been wanting to buy for 20 years and more, was as expected, wonderful; though the print was even smaller than I thought it would be, for which a more powerful magnifying glass is required at my age. Yet the glass sent was better than I expected, after reading all the earlier reviews on it.
Disappointed with the handling of the packing though. The top part of the slipcase was torn off from the rest of the case at one end, thereby spoiling the look. Otherwise the book was in excellent condition.

9 people found this helpful

m

文句がある訳がないです！

Reviewed in Japan on April 4, 2019

Verified Purchase

購入後、こんな言葉あんな言葉を脈絡なく引いて、定義を読み引用を確かめては楽しんでいる。

あの世が退屈な場所だったら、是非持参しておきたい！

7 people found this helpful

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