The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles

Those who urge you to throw away your old dictionary and stick with the most modern are mad, mad, mad! This is the best dictionary I have so far and I am so delighted with it. I need a dictionary to look up words I don't know, and to give subtle shadings of words I do know. This dictionary does that far better than my 1975 and 2002 dictionaries (which admittedly are shorter editions), and gives words that have fallen out of the newest in favour of "trackpants" and the like. Using the three together is an education in the evolution not only of words but of our view of them. Just a wonderful book. So pleased I found it.

(Reviewing the 1955 3rd ed. rev.) This is old and the definitions of naughty words are circumlocutional at best. However, it has marvelous things like explanations of emphatic "shall," and, being abridged, it does not require a magnifying glass to read the etymologies and first usages, which are the best part of any Oxford dictionary. It's also big enough to be used for a booster chair.

It's great to have a Collins alongside as they compliment each other, but this is simply superb and the full 20-odd volume version is on my "when I win the lottery" shopping list.

Second only to the Complete Works of Wm. Shakespeare, it is the richest entrypoint into the English Language.

I use this dictionary a lot. A distillation from the great Oxford English Dictionary.

2 v.

Volumes 2,3,4,5,6,8,9