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The Compact Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary, Complete Text Reproduced Micrographically
Ships out within 24 hours. Pages in decent condition. Some highlighting/writing. Some moderate to heavy bending. No extras, just textbook (no CD-ROM, access kit or code, study guide, etc.).
2424 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
5 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
E.S.C. Weiner
13 booksEdmund S.C. Weiner joined the staff of the Oxford English Dictionary in July 1977. Previously he taught Old and Middle English and English linguistic history at Christ Church, Oxford, and undertook research on Middle English literature.
His career as a lexicographer began with the Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary. In 1983 he started work on Oxford University Press's plans for the computerization of the Oxford English Dictionary, and became Co-Editor of the Second Edition in 1985. In 1993 as Deputy Chief Editor he took charge of the revision of etymologies, pronunciations, and grammatical terms in the Dictionary.
It was his initial analysis of the structure of the dictionary text which enabled the Oxford English Dictionary to be first handled and searched by computer in 1987. He was subsequently closely involved in the preparation of the popular CD-ROM edition, published in 1992.
He has always been fascinated by word origins, phonetic change, and grammatical development. He takes a keen interest in particular aspects of the vocabulary of English, including the language of Early Modern English non literary documents (such as wills and inventories), the terminology of English grammar (the subject of a book he co-authored), the vocabulary of Anglo-Jewry, and the English of South Africa, where many of his extended family live. He is an active teacher at summer schools on the history of English and trains lexicographers in languages which have fewer literary and historical resources than English. He is a Fellow of Kellogg College Oxford.
Edmund was born in Oxford, where he has lived most of his life. The works of the famous Oxonians J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were powerful early influences. He is happy to pursue his scholarly interests as his profession on the Oxford English Dictionary. He also enjoys listening to music, reading, going to church, and family life.
His career as a lexicographer began with the Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary. In 1983 he started work on Oxford University Press's plans for the computerization of the Oxford English Dictionary, and became Co-Editor of the Second Edition in 1985. In 1993 as Deputy Chief Editor he took charge of the revision of etymologies, pronunciations, and grammatical terms in the Dictionary.
It was his initial analysis of the structure of the dictionary text which enabled the Oxford English Dictionary to be first handled and searched by computer in 1987. He was subsequently closely involved in the preparation of the popular CD-ROM edition, published in 1992.
He has always been fascinated by word origins, phonetic change, and grammatical development. He takes a keen interest in particular aspects of the vocabulary of English, including the language of Early Modern English non literary documents (such as wills and inventories), the terminology of English grammar (the subject of a book he co-authored), the vocabulary of Anglo-Jewry, and the English of South Africa, where many of his extended family live. He is an active teacher at summer schools on the history of English and trains lexicographers in languages which have fewer literary and historical resources than English. He is a Fellow of Kellogg College Oxford.
Edmund was born in Oxford, where he has lived most of his life. The works of the famous Oxonians J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were powerful early influences. He is happy to pursue his scholarly interests as his profession on the Oxford English Dictionary. He also enjoys listening to music, reading, going to church, and family life.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 9, 2011
This is my baby. My $200 baby, to be precise. Put aside the Rhyming Dictionary, the Crossword Dictionary, Blacks Law Dictionary, and certainly anything claiming to be a dictionary that has the word 'College' or 'American' on the front cover or the spine. For this, ladies and gentlemen, is the entire 17-volume OED scrunched up into one manageable volume, the replacement for which will not see the light of day until 2037.
Wanna' win an argument with your professor on the meaning of a word because of its origin?? You better be pulling out the OED or just go home to mamma.
Wanna' be entertained as never before by learning how little you know about the language you have been using for your entire stinking life?? Pull out the OED.
So long as my eyes can function with the aid of that 2-lb. convex magnifying glass / paperweight that came with it, I shall be happily using my OED.
Every single time I have used this reference I have found myself looking at additional words other than those I initially sought, making connections between words I thought I knew, sometimes following linguistic trails that apparently only I can see (or at least it feels that way sometimes).
It can be fun to see contemporary authors I know mentioned in the book, such as Stephen King and I believe I've seen Dean Koontz referenced too.
Sad that our youth is going the way of twitter, with its limited number of characters and a rejection of grammar as a whole. Sad for them.
Wanna' win an argument with your professor on the meaning of a word because of its origin?? You better be pulling out the OED or just go home to mamma.
Wanna' be entertained as never before by learning how little you know about the language you have been using for your entire stinking life?? Pull out the OED.
So long as my eyes can function with the aid of that 2-lb. convex magnifying glass / paperweight that came with it, I shall be happily using my OED.
Every single time I have used this reference I have found myself looking at additional words other than those I initially sought, making connections between words I thought I knew, sometimes following linguistic trails that apparently only I can see (or at least it feels that way sometimes).
It can be fun to see contemporary authors I know mentioned in the book, such as Stephen King and I believe I've seen Dean Koontz referenced too.
Sad that our youth is going the way of twitter, with its limited number of characters and a rejection of grammar as a whole. Sad for them.
February 22, 2008
Because finally I don't have one of those pesky jobby-jobs or any real responsibilities at all, now when I come across a word I don't know I have plenty of time to look it up in my Big Dictionary! This is such a huge relief because I was all worried I wouldn't get around to using this much until retirement age, and my eyesight is already failing. I kinda wish I had the larger-print, two volume set, though there is definitely something to be said for having it all in one book....
This Big Dictionary was one of the best presents anyone ever gave me. Valentine's Day, 2001 I think? Came with construction paper heart procured by sweetie from decorated wall of the sushi place down the street: "Roses are red/ Molly's a debutante/ Here's your valentine/ I stole it from the restaurant." Rhyme obviously filched from Blondie, but nonetheless very sweet.... Anyway, it was a really, really nice present, one of the nicest presents in recorded history. Then later that evening we got in an insane, screaming, knock-down-drag-out fight, I don't remember about what, but certainly not OED-related.
Do any of you librarian-types know how to fix the cover shown here? It's wrong. This is not supposed to be the Thesaurus, it's the one-volume Big Dictionary with a magnifying glass!
This Big Dictionary was one of the best presents anyone ever gave me. Valentine's Day, 2001 I think? Came with construction paper heart procured by sweetie from decorated wall of the sushi place down the street: "Roses are red/ Molly's a debutante/ Here's your valentine/ I stole it from the restaurant." Rhyme obviously filched from Blondie, but nonetheless very sweet.... Anyway, it was a really, really nice present, one of the nicest presents in recorded history. Then later that evening we got in an insane, screaming, knock-down-drag-out fight, I don't remember about what, but certainly not OED-related.
Do any of you librarian-types know how to fix the cover shown here? It's wrong. This is not supposed to be the Thesaurus, it's the one-volume Big Dictionary with a magnifying glass!
November 11, 2007
No, of course I haven't read the whole thing. But it's still an indispensable item on my desk and a wonderful distraction/fetish for browsing. One day it will probably fall over and take a few casualties with it (pesky cats!).
June 21, 2009
Wow, what a dictionary! As far as dictionaries goes, this is the dictionariest. This is the paragon of dictionaries, it's super dictionariarific. I paid almost 300 clams for this dictionary and I don't regret it. I paid 300 dollars for a root canal once and when I was done I said, "Is that all I get for three hundred bucks".
I have never said that about this dictionary.
If I want to know what Boswell or Chaucer meant when they were using a certain word, all I had to do is look in this dictionary!
The only problem with this book is that the words are super small. The publishers, however, have been most charitable in adding a swell magnifing glass so you can actually read it.
I love my OED and if there were such a thing as the 'Dictionary Police' who went around confiscating peoples dictionaries--they would have to pry this one from my cold dead fingers.
This dictionary makes me want to write a special haiku in its honor.
Oodles and oodles
words poppin' up everywhere
hoodwink is a verb
I have never said that about this dictionary.
If I want to know what Boswell or Chaucer meant when they were using a certain word, all I had to do is look in this dictionary!
The only problem with this book is that the words are super small. The publishers, however, have been most charitable in adding a swell magnifing glass so you can actually read it.
I love my OED and if there were such a thing as the 'Dictionary Police' who went around confiscating peoples dictionaries--they would have to pry this one from my cold dead fingers.
This dictionary makes me want to write a special haiku in its honor.
Oodles and oodles
words poppin' up everywhere
hoodwink is a verb
March 3, 2009
My family had a much older edition of this on our bookshelves when I was growing up. I did NOT appreciate it as a kid. It was totally useless to me. I once tried to use it for a vocabulary assignment in English. I only wanted the definition of the words! I didn't need to see an entire history of it and a bibliography of where all the words were discovered for the first time in print and how the definition has changed in the last 500 years. I just about cried at how long the definitions were and got hand cramps before I even finished copying down the firest one.
Anyway, It is now one of my most favorite resources. I love to see how words have changed over the ages and when they first appeared in our language.
Anyway, It is now one of my most favorite resources. I love to see how words have changed over the ages and when they first appeared in our language.
February 7, 2008
The best use of my student loans. Better than the thirty grand in tuition. No words of praise will come close to properly praising the undertaking of producing this tome, nor the printing technology enabling me to contain it to a corner of my desk.
April 11, 2008
Okay, I admit I haven't really read this book. I own it and use it for reference (when my eyes are feeling up to it), but I certainly haven't read every word. I decided I had to own it after reading The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester.
March 6, 2007
Big, nerdy glee was felt when my mom gave me the 3-volume compact OED set complete with magnifying glass and case. Ahhhh. Revel in the etymology.
March 23, 2008
Worth every penny of the $400 price tag. I think I'm down to about $25 per lookup now.
May 26, 2008
I received this as a gift from my mother and sister when graduating from CU. I love books, and I cannot think of a single book in my collection more precious to me than this one.
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November 5, 2016The compact Oxford English dictionary : complete text reproduced micrographically by J. A. Simpson (1991)
February 7, 2010
No civilized home or serious school can exist without it. It is the end of the line, the last word. An epic achievement.
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May 13, 2010i want new extra knoealage
August 16, 2016
MY LOVE.
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May 1, 2017OUP Oxford (1991)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews