Jody T. (jody102) -
Helpful Score: 1
A fascinating "listen" for any student of English who is interested in etymology and the history of the OED. Includes numerous details and anecdotes on the dictionary making process, various eccentric editors of the dictionary, and their efforts to cultivate public participation in the project which spanned over a half century.
This audiobook was so boring that I couldn't even finish it. The subject sounds boring to begin with, but it was unabridged and only about $5.99 when I bought it. Now I know why! I got about halfway through the second disc and had to shut it off because they started talking less about history, and more about lists of words that were derived from other words. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........
This is the second book I have read by Simon Winchester (the first being The Professor and the Madman) and I don't think I'll be reading anything else written by him ever again. His style is too boring and drab for me.
This is the second book I have read by Simon Winchester (the first being The Professor and the Madman) and I don't think I'll be reading anything else written by him ever again. His style is too boring and drab for me.
Dave E. (smmedia) reviewed The Meaning of Everything CD : The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary on + 29 more book reviews
Very good. Light entertainment. It is not as good as Professor and the Madman, also written by Simon Winchester. The author in a later chapter recounts the Professor and the madman story, so if you want only to read or listen to one, then listen or read this one.
A case study on how a dictionary progressed from novelity words to serious study. Projects like wikipedia are not new. This 70 plus year endevor was crowdsourced before the internet and modern computers. It is interesting how they did it. It did take a long time for the OED to finish it task of catologing all the words used in the english language. It is a work that never ends because english is constantly changing.
A case study on how a dictionary progressed from novelity words to serious study. Projects like wikipedia are not new. This 70 plus year endevor was crowdsourced before the internet and modern computers. It is interesting how they did it. It did take a long time for the OED to finish it task of catologing all the words used in the english language. It is a work that never ends because english is constantly changing.
