Reviews
'one of the wonders of the modern world ... it is fun to plunge into thiscolossal book and be ambushed by some unknown word or variation at the turn ofevery page or, in the case of the Compact edition, of every nine pages. This isa book all literate people will want to give themselves for Christmas, if theycannot persuade anyone else to give it to them. And the OUP should be given theNobel prize, or something better.'Illustrated London News, '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 forChristmas, 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, 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, 'virtually impossible to fault ... this is simply the finest dictionary around'Ian Shuttleworth, City Limits, 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 & 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, 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
Synopsis
The Compact Edition of the OED reproduces micrographically, in a single volume, the complete text of the highly acclaimed Second Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary. In this edition, nine pages of the original fit onto just one. This volume comes in a slipcase with a magnifying glass and a new user's guide which explains the conventions of the OED., The Compact Oxford English Dictionary provides all the wealth of scholarship found in the original twenty-volume OED, in just one volume, and at a fraction of the price. The Compact is not an abridgement but a direct photoreduction of the entire twenty-volume set, with nine pages of the original on every nine-by-twelve page of the Compact (a magnifying glass comes with it to make reading easier). It includes 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., 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.
