The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

I confess I haven't read this one either. I'll get around to it though. Sir James Murray seemed to be quite a character though. Persistent and determined.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Meaning-Everything-Oxford-English-Dictionary/dp/01928057...

I don't know if you have come across these before, but I can recommend them both:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caught-Web-Words-English-Dictionary/dp/0300021313/ref=tm...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Words-Tolkien-English-Dictionary/dp/0199568367/ref=...

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The first is out of print at amazon or I would buy that. Indeed I have just submitted an order but was unable to add that to the purchase.

I like the look of the second recommendation too. I have been an ardent Tolkien fan since around 10 years old when I read The Hobbit

As an aside, I have never been able to, without effort, to recall verse at ease except for Tolkien.

The road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began.......

There seem to be some new copies of the paperback available.

Do you know The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle by Donald Swan. The first two hardback editions have some original notes by Tolkien himself and the book is illustrated with elvish calligraphy, etc. (Sorry to get off the subject of the OED in only my second post!)

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Tolkien is OED therefore relevant! (Anything wordy is relevant)

No I had not heard of Swan, thanks for that.

New copies: Yes, I see now what you mean, but as I live in Australia, I don't qualify for free delivery under that particular deal (you must buy direct from amazon and spend over 25 quid).

It should be printed again.

I recently read 'Reading The Oxford English Dictionary' by Ammon Shea - he read all of it in a year.

This is a decent small video clip I found, in some small way, showing the vastness of the project...

http://youtu.be/BcWlLkGEyyI