Overview

The hidden history of the unsung heroes who created the Oxford English Dictionary **LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024** 'Unmissable' Stephen Fry 'A delight' Katherine Rundell 'Illuminating' Susie Dent 'Brilliant' Philippa Perry 'Enthralling' Jeanette Winterson 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. But the Dictionary didn't just belong to the experts; it relied on contributions from members of the public. By 1928, its 414,825 entries had been crowdsourced from a surprising and diverse group of people, from astronomers to murderers, naturists, pornographers, suffragists and queer couples. Lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie dives deep into previously untapped archives to tell a people's history of the OED. Here, she reveals, for the first time, the full story of the making of one of the most famous books in the world - and celebrates the extraordinary efforts of the Dictionary People. 'An astonishing book' Sunday Times 'Utterly fascinating, entertaining, astonishing and as clever as a box of monkeys ... I completely love it' Joanna Lumley 'A fascinating and delightful exploration of the Victorian world ... Wonderful' Nicola Shulman, TLS Podcast ** A Financial Times, TLS and Daunt Books Book of the Year **

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9781529922578

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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 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 * The story of the first complete Oxford English Dictionary…and the hundreds of men and women who were instrumental in its creation… Ogilvie does a marvellous job of bringing them all to life… It’s surprisingly moving: I found myself in tears at the end. I think any lover of words would enjoy this as much as I did * Guardian * I love words and I cherish my OED ... having the background of it explained was fascinating * Val McDermid * The OED is an epic, crowdsourced attempt to pin down slippery, evolving language; this book tells the fascinating story of its eclectic and unsung contributors * Financial Times, *Books of the Year* * Not just a comprehensive description of the dictionary, but also a companion to the Victorian intellectual landscape * Times Literary Supplement * 'An erudite and vivid exploration of the origins of the OED in the first crowdsourcing of contributions from thousands of individuals - including murderers, lunatics and cannibals. Marvellous, witty and wholly original' * Alan Rusbridger * Full of determination and eccentricity ... Ogilvie's enthusiasm ... is infectious, and this book is a delight to read * Booklist *

Sarah Ogilvie has brought to centre stage a gallery of remarkable characters quite as astonishing, hilarious, terrifying and beguiling as any found in Dickens. The “ordinary” people who helped create the Oxford English Dictionary reveal themselves to be anything but ordinary. At the back of it all we are reminded that words themselves are not abstract units of meaning, they are every bit as alive, elusive and enchanting as the people who devote themselves to their study. The Dictionary People serves also, incidentally, as a marvellous record of the incidentals, the daily details, manners and modes of 19th century life. An unmissable wonderful achievement. -- Stephen Fry 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 * 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 * Exquisitely written ... A lively, funny book full of eccentrics * Jamaica Kincaid * 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 *

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 * 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 * Exquisitely written ... A lively, funny book full of eccentrics * Jamaica Kincaid * 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 * I love words and I cherish my OED ... having the background of it explained was fascinating * Val McDermid *

Author Information

Sarah Ogilvie teaches at the University of Oxford, and specializes in language, dictionaries, and technology. As a lexicographer she has been an editor at the Oxford English Dictionary and was Chief Editor of Oxford Dictionaries in Australia. As a technologist she has worked in Silicon Valley at Lab 126, Amazon's innovation lab, where she was part of the team that developed the Kindle. She originally studied computer science and mathematics before taking her doctorate in Linguistics at the University of Oxford, and then taught at Cambridge and Stanford.

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