The Oxford English Dictionary

Without doubt the greatest lexical achievement produced thus far and probably the best printed dictionary that will ever be (since it'll all be just internets from here on out). Beautifully made, cleanly written, and tremendously researched. Fun just to leaf through, definitive in settling disagreements this is a book more people should spend more time with, myself included.

I love this dictionary. Sometimes I flip it open and read it just for fun, peering down at the page with my funky replacement magnifying glass (having lost the sleek one which came standard, tucked into its very own drawer), reading about the histories of my favorite words or finding new ones that I'll probably never have any occasion to use. This dictionary also makes an excellent end table, if you're not the sort of person who is bothered by coffee rings to your books. Mine looks like crap - battered and stained, scuffed on all sides from repeated moves. It's a set made to be used - sturdy binding, clear type, table-sized slipcase, handy drawer for stuff - and that just makes me love it more. In fact (and I realize that by now I am show more starting to sound a little insane), we have two copies in our house. People think this is excessive, but what if something happened to one of them? Better to have a spare, just in case.
Yes. I love this dictionary. show less

Please note: there are TWO different Compact Editions. Most know about the two-volume reprint of the original 1928 edition of the dictionary, with the pages reduced to fit four on a page. But there is a more recent ONE-volume reprint of the 1989 Second Edition--a massive volume the size of an atlas, but three times as thick, with the pages made even smaller so as to fit NINE on a page, and with an even more powerful magnifier. This is the one I have, and it is one of my most prized possessions.

I have gained more pleasure out of browsing its forest of near-microscopic type than with any other reference book I've ever encountered. It is utterly exhaustive; it is absolutely authoritative; it is stunningly beautifully written. Nobody who show more loves the English language should be without one.

The only barrier for most people will be its extremely high cost--but, as this is the product of over 120 years of intense work by hundreds of dedicated people, the cost is well worth it. I have free access to the online version through the library, but because I love to browse, I still insisted on a print version, any print version. And now I will be enjoying this book for the rest of my life.

If you love English, and especially if you write for a living, you absolutely MUST own the OED. Beg, steal, borrow, spend weeks trawling through eBay, do whatever you have to do, but get it. You will NOT be sorry. show less

I have been coveting this dictionary for years. I first saw it in the 7th grade at my great aunt and uncle's house and I have wanted one ever since. I had already fallen in love with the full 20+ volume set at the library, but knew that I would never be able to fit it in my apartment.

This version, the full set compacted with very very tiny type and very thin paper and a big magnifying glass, is a treat to have. For anyone who is obsessed with language and words, this will tell you near every permutation of every word in the English language. There are pages upon pages for single words such as "run" or "be."

And, for anyone that is a fan of book arts in general, this book truly is a work of art. It is an interesting book to look through show more and look at and feel just for its uniqueness. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a good dictionary. This one is the Gold Standard. show less

Unique history of the English language and how it's changed and grown. Unfortunately, this is the edition I own. So much about the English language has changed in the last 3 1/2 decades! Wish I had the funds to subscribe annually online to the OED! But it's still fun to look at the old editions, such as this one, to see the history of the English language up until that time.

Each page of this edition contains four of the original (I think 16-volume) edition's pages reduced in size. It's just possible to read them with the naked eye, but most people would find it tiring which is the reason for the magnifying glass. I have given it five stars because there is nothing else like it for British English even though it was compiled so long ago. Every entry contains a reference to the first occasion the word was discovered in a British publication. The O.E.D. is still a source of interest and amusement to the un-serious but pernickety user of the language. I just wonder about "pernickety..."

The ultimate dictionary in two convenient volumes (albeit hefty ones with shrunken text) . I found my copy by accident when my foot happened to kick while perusing knicknacks at a huge rummage sale. I'd never seen one before and greedily snapped it up. I keep smaller dictionaries at hand, but this is the ultimate authority in our house. When all others fail, this one has the word. I feel lucky , proud, and honored to have a set.