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102 reviews for:
The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary
Simon Winchester
3.78 AVERAGE
102 reviews for:
The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary
Simon Winchester
3.78 AVERAGE
informative
slow-paced
I love my OED even more now after reading this. Winchester brings the men (and an occasional rare woman) behind the OED to life in this fascinating history. The level of intelligence and diligence that these men brought to the project was is amazing. James Murray is the best known of these men, deservedly so, but the book brings to life a host of minor characters who are equally intriguing.
The epitome of nonfiction.
The subject matter of this book (the Oxford English Dictionary) interested me before picking it up, but I had no idea how fascinating nonfiction could be and how quickly I would come to genuinely love this true story and those real men (and few women) involved in the Dictionary's evolution.
Winchester is a masterful storyteller, knowing which bits of information to develop and how to keep the august history of the Dictionary cohesive and relevant. Apart from novel-form nonfiction, I have never read a nonfiction book that was so delightfully engaging as this.
The OED's story is one of national—even global—collaboration all in the name of language. The story and its expert writing affected even my emotions. I found myself increasingly proud of my native English language and bolstered by the enthusiasm of the hundreds upon hundreds of nineteenth-century English-speakers who felt the same. I feel a nerdy thrill of excitement when I think of all the thousands, if not millions, of English words at my disposal.
If you're reluctant to read nonfiction, read this. Even if you're not such a passionate word-lover as I, you can enjoy this book for its engaging, witty writing and its accessible and thoroughly enjoyable telling of a truly remarkable story.
The subject matter of this book (the Oxford English Dictionary) interested me before picking it up, but I had no idea how fascinating nonfiction could be and how quickly I would come to genuinely love this true story and those real men (and few women) involved in the Dictionary's evolution.
Winchester is a masterful storyteller, knowing which bits of information to develop and how to keep the august history of the Dictionary cohesive and relevant. Apart from novel-form nonfiction, I have never read a nonfiction book that was so delightfully engaging as this.
The OED's story is one of national—even global—collaboration all in the name of language. The story and its expert writing affected even my emotions. I found myself increasingly proud of my native English language and bolstered by the enthusiasm of the hundreds upon hundreds of nineteenth-century English-speakers who felt the same. I feel a nerdy thrill of excitement when I think of all the thousands, if not millions, of English words at my disposal.
If you're reluctant to read nonfiction, read this. Even if you're not such a passionate word-lover as I, you can enjoy this book for its engaging, witty writing and its accessible and thoroughly enjoyable telling of a truly remarkable story.
Excessive superfluousness and use of adverbs aside, I can't really argue with the blurb writer's apparent adoration of Winchester's writing. I enjoyed it in [b:Krakatoa|25017|Krakatoa The Day the World Exploded August 27, 1883 (P.S.)|Simon Winchester|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167571833s/25017.jpg|2084098], and I loved it even more here, probably because his love of the English language is so apparent all the way through. A purist historian would probably prefer that that adoration for the subject matter be a little less obvious, but I think the passion is great, especially for the kind of subject matter that most people simply take for granted. Meeting a kindred spirit, if only through reading his book, just gives me delightful warm fuzzies.
I also enjoy all the little asides he includes in his books. Little bits of information not strictly necessary, but that give you added perspective, or just a quirky bit of amusement. Even aside from those, his writing is far from dry, but these bits help to make things extra real and vivid, by providing details you might otherwise only know if you knew the involved people personally.
I think I had one or two less positive things to point out, but I actually finished this book a week ago, so the minor complaints have floated away, and I'm mostly just left with the sense that I really enjoyed this book. I have [b:The Professor and the Madman|25019|The Professor and the Madman A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary|Simon Winchester|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167571834s/25019.jpg|1628566] on The List already, but I think I might add Winchester's other books as well, whether I'm interested in the subject matter or not. I think they'll be good reads, and I know I'll learn things.
In some ways, this may be the most word-nerdy reading experience I've ever had, because not only did I read a book about making a dictionary, but the whole way through, I found myself desperately wishing that I could have been alive to be a part of the process, and almost a touch disappointed that the OED is so much what it was meant to be that there's never likely to be a need to start from scratch and make a whole new one. Certainly not during my lifetime. Ah well.
In any case, if you have any interest in the subject matter, you should definitely read this book. And even if you don't, you'd probably enjoy it anyway. Well, maybe. At the end of the day, it is still all about a dictionary. But I hearted it.
I also enjoy all the little asides he includes in his books. Little bits of information not strictly necessary, but that give you added perspective, or just a quirky bit of amusement. Even aside from those, his writing is far from dry, but these bits help to make things extra real and vivid, by providing details you might otherwise only know if you knew the involved people personally.
I think I had one or two less positive things to point out, but I actually finished this book a week ago, so the minor complaints have floated away, and I'm mostly just left with the sense that I really enjoyed this book. I have [b:The Professor and the Madman|25019|The Professor and the Madman A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary|Simon Winchester|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167571834s/25019.jpg|1628566] on The List already, but I think I might add Winchester's other books as well, whether I'm interested in the subject matter or not. I think they'll be good reads, and I know I'll learn things.
In some ways, this may be the most word-nerdy reading experience I've ever had, because not only did I read a book about making a dictionary, but the whole way through, I found myself desperately wishing that I could have been alive to be a part of the process, and almost a touch disappointed that the OED is so much what it was meant to be that there's never likely to be a need to start from scratch and make a whole new one. Certainly not during my lifetime. Ah well.
In any case, if you have any interest in the subject matter, you should definitely read this book. And even if you don't, you'd probably enjoy it anyway. Well, maybe. At the end of the day, it is still all about a dictionary. But I hearted it.
This book is far superior to The Professor and the Madman. It avoids Simon Winchester's love of overdramatizing historical events and focuses on the inherently fascinating story behind the creation of the OED.
This book is what I imagine a collaboration between a straight-laced history professor and a Knight of the British Empire would be. It is incredibly British and quite readable, even for American audiences. Winchester is obviously enamored with his topic-- his affection both for James Murray (the senior editor of the OED) and the dictionary itself is palpable. Moreover, he just loves words; some of his favorites are polymathic and niggardly. The book highlights the incredibly nuanced and complex nature of the English language itself, but also the absolute joy that comes in manipulating it.
Took me a very, very long time to actually get into it, but it was fine once I did. Will appeal more to hardcore word nerds than the casual reader, and I think it helped that I read the Professor and the Madman first.
Fascinating story behind my dream dictionary. The labor it took to create the OED out of whole cloth took multiple lifetimes. This book, while thorough and enjoyable, still leaves much untold. I want more.
Fantastic book if you're interested in language and the process of dictionary writing. I normally find it hard to read non-fiction without getting disengaged, but the writing style is amusing and easy to digest. Loved it!
Was interrupted halfway through this a while ago, for some reason, but I keep thinking about it! I love love love the way the author explains the history, sociology, anthropology, and most importantly, fascinatingly entertaining stories about how the English language came to be. Note to self to finish this soon!