Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages
by Ammon Shea
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An obsessive word lover's account of reading the Oxford English Dictionary cover to cover.Tags
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How is it that no one has reviewed this yet?* I'm only half way through and I can honestly say it is one of the funnier things I've read in some time. I also feel as though Ammon Shea is a long-lost brother. We seem to share an overall opinion of the, er, quality of the human race as a whole.
This is a short but far from breezy read: in brief, Shea is an inveterate reader of dictionaries -- yes, reader, dictionaries -- and so, because it is there, he assays the great English dictionary of our time, the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary.
There are 26 chapters, each of which starts with a reflection on the act of reading through this massive book. The reflection is followed by a selection of choice (and I mean choice) words beginning with show more one of the 26 letters of the alphabet.
My coworker and I often laugh at how vehement folks get, where we work: they are fond of interrupting one another, with ejaculations such as "no no no no no!" It turns out there is a word for this: epizeuxis. Reading the OED is full of words that will answer your questions about whether "there is a word for ... this." Whatever this is.
Along the way you get pieces of wisdom about lexicography, eyeglasses, and "the library people."
First rate.
* when I wrote this all I saw was "Reviews: None" at the top of the page. I see now that this is inaccurate. show less
This is a short but far from breezy read: in brief, Shea is an inveterate reader of dictionaries -- yes, reader, dictionaries -- and so, because it is there, he assays the great English dictionary of our time, the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary.
There are 26 chapters, each of which starts with a reflection on the act of reading through this massive book. The reflection is followed by a selection of choice (and I mean choice) words beginning with show more one of the 26 letters of the alphabet.
My coworker and I often laugh at how vehement folks get, where we work: they are fond of interrupting one another, with ejaculations such as "no no no no no!" It turns out there is a word for this: epizeuxis. Reading the OED is full of words that will answer your questions about whether "there is a word for ... this." Whatever this is.
Along the way you get pieces of wisdom about lexicography, eyeglasses, and "the library people."
First rate.
* when I wrote this all I saw was "Reviews: None" at the top of the page. I see now that this is inaccurate. show less
The Book Report: Ammon Shea, whom I suspect of autodidacticism, was a New York City furniture mover and dicitionary freak living with his recovering lexicographer girlfriend when he conceives of a way to get paid for sitting in a corner and reading: He will, in one year, read the entire 20-volume print version of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), and report on the experience of doing so, what lexicological gems he found while doing so, and what the experience does to his sneaking-up-on-forty body. (Nothing good, as one can imagine.) I strongly suspect he thought this wheeze up so someone would buy him the whole thousand-dollar kit and kaboodle. I have no evidence to support this conjecture, just a little quiver in my antennae. What show more the heck, he'll never see this review, so where's the harm?
My Review: I confess: I am such a nerd that, at age 11, I set out to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (1947 edition) that my mother prized above all her other books. Originally, I approached the task sternly alphabetically. I understood very little of what I was reading, so I abandoned this approach and instead began jumping around to cross-references as entries confused, excited, angered me; I learned a lot more that way, and before six months were out, I got my first major dictionary (Random House Dictionary of the English Language 1966) so I would stop pestering my mother to tell me what words she'd never heard before meant.
My mother, my sisters, and my First Great Love all made gentle fun of me at first, but mostly left me to get on with it because it was *such* a relief that I no longer wanted to talk only about cars. The charm of this, inevitably, waned as I discoursed upon late Imperial/early Republican China's woes; motifs in Greek painting; the apple and its manifold wonders (though my mother, the foodie, was more willing to listen to this than most of the other stuff) (oh, and that last is still a source of abiding fascination to me), etc etc. Soon I faced open hostility as I approached, big brown volume in hand, gleam of joy in newfound knowledge lighting my face; I learned quickly how very little fondness most people have for someone smarter than they are, better informed than they are, and unafraid to show it.
So imagine my rapturous surprise when my eye lit on this book in the bargain bin! (Sorry, Mr. Shea, but if it's any consolation, it's from the third printing. I owe you a cup of coffee.) There exists in the world a bigger nerd than I am! W00t!
I read the book with a delight that's rare, the eager and guilt-laden urgency to see how far *this* big ol' nerd will go out of his cave. It was an impressive distance. He's a very, very curmudgeonly person, at least as he portrays himself; and he's unafraid of social opprobrium, which is laudable in a smartypants.
But in the end, much as I liked reading his alphabetical listings of the weird and wonderful discoveries, I was left wanting something more than the brief introductory essays in each letter provided: I wanted some synthesis, which he implies he did; he mentions several times compiling lists of synonyms and antonyms and words that define the same concept in slightly different ways, which lists and definitions I really wish had been in the book.
I suspect this is the work of his editor, who then is proof of my contention that no editor is always right, and occasionally should be fought. Oh well. Maybe next book.
Still and all, minor quibbles aside, this is a wonderful read and should be read ASAP by word freaks everywhere; and also by those socially inept folk in need of reassurance that, somewhere in New York City, there is a man who can give them a solid run for their awkward money. Recommended. show less
My Review: I confess: I am such a nerd that, at age 11, I set out to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica (1947 edition) that my mother prized above all her other books. Originally, I approached the task sternly alphabetically. I understood very little of what I was reading, so I abandoned this approach and instead began jumping around to cross-references as entries confused, excited, angered me; I learned a lot more that way, and before six months were out, I got my first major dictionary (Random House Dictionary of the English Language 1966) so I would stop pestering my mother to tell me what words she'd never heard before meant.
My mother, my sisters, and my First Great Love all made gentle fun of me at first, but mostly left me to get on with it because it was *such* a relief that I no longer wanted to talk only about cars. The charm of this, inevitably, waned as I discoursed upon late Imperial/early Republican China's woes; motifs in Greek painting; the apple and its manifold wonders (though my mother, the foodie, was more willing to listen to this than most of the other stuff) (oh, and that last is still a source of abiding fascination to me), etc etc. Soon I faced open hostility as I approached, big brown volume in hand, gleam of joy in newfound knowledge lighting my face; I learned quickly how very little fondness most people have for someone smarter than they are, better informed than they are, and unafraid to show it.
So imagine my rapturous surprise when my eye lit on this book in the bargain bin! (Sorry, Mr. Shea, but if it's any consolation, it's from the third printing. I owe you a cup of coffee.) There exists in the world a bigger nerd than I am! W00t!
I read the book with a delight that's rare, the eager and guilt-laden urgency to see how far *this* big ol' nerd will go out of his cave. It was an impressive distance. He's a very, very curmudgeonly person, at least as he portrays himself; and he's unafraid of social opprobrium, which is laudable in a smartypants.
But in the end, much as I liked reading his alphabetical listings of the weird and wonderful discoveries, I was left wanting something more than the brief introductory essays in each letter provided: I wanted some synthesis, which he implies he did; he mentions several times compiling lists of synonyms and antonyms and words that define the same concept in slightly different ways, which lists and definitions I really wish had been in the book.
I suspect this is the work of his editor, who then is proof of my contention that no editor is always right, and occasionally should be fought. Oh well. Maybe next book.
Still and all, minor quibbles aside, this is a wonderful read and should be read ASAP by word freaks everywhere; and also by those socially inept folk in need of reassurance that, somewhere in New York City, there is a man who can give them a solid run for their awkward money. Recommended. show less
Once in a while there comes a book that seems to have been written about you. It speaks to you, it describes you, it knows you. For me, Reading the OED is that book.
Yes, I am one of “them”. A word-nerd. One of those odd people who enjoy reading dictionaries. I’ve done it since I was a child, and I still take immense pleasure in it today. Knowing that there are others not only like me, but admittedly even battier about dictionaries than I am was a pleasant revelation.
Reading the OED is well-written, entertaining, informative, and utterly delightful. My only gripe is that the book is too short. Guess this will be the final prod I need to actually go out and buy the 20 volume set of the OED I’ve been coveting for years…
Yes, I am one of “them”. A word-nerd. One of those odd people who enjoy reading dictionaries. I’ve done it since I was a child, and I still take immense pleasure in it today. Knowing that there are others not only like me, but admittedly even battier about dictionaries than I am was a pleasant revelation.
Reading the OED is well-written, entertaining, informative, and utterly delightful. My only gripe is that the book is too short. Guess this will be the final prod I need to actually go out and buy the 20 volume set of the OED I’ve been coveting for years…
This book is so good! It's the experience of Ammon Shea as he spent one year reading the OED. He has a great sense of humor. This book is full of stories about his experiences reading the dictionary mixed with stories of his life not to mention definitions of unusual words we've never heard of.
Two of these words I have already started saying in my daily life:
Prend - noun - a mended crack. Every Sunday I now look at my Sunday tea cup - the one from Colorado Capital Bank that shattered into several pieces when I dropped a juice glass on top of it (which also shattered into several pieces) and which my husband lovingly glued back together - and I say "Look at all these prends".
Inadvertist - noun - One who persistently fails to take notice show more of things. Can you say "clueless"? I've been using this word each morning during rush hour when clueless motorists cut me off and then drive 15 miles an hour under the speed limit talking on their cell phones. The world is full of inadvertists who inadvertantly do stupid things.
Then there are other words that I would love to say but I know I won't remember:
Apricity - noun - The warmth of the sun in winter.
Hypergelast - noun - A person who will not stop laughing.
And did you know disrespect was used as a verb hundreds of years ago? "He's disrespectin' me" is nothing new.
One thing that made this book delightful is not only that the author lists all these great words, he makes comments after all these words. Some of his comments made me laugh so much I cried. Example:
Unbepissed - adjective - Not having been urinated on; unwet with urine. "Who ever thought there was an actual need for such a word? Is it possible that at some time there was such a profusion of things that HAD been urinated on that there was a pressing need to distinguish those that had not?"
When the author went to attend the biannual conference of the Dictionary Society of North America I was actually jealous. What fun! I, too, want to read a dictionary and talk about words with other like-minded geeky souls. Then again, maybe I need a break from all of this. The other day I was reading the comics in the paper and got to "Mutts" and thought - hmmm, probably short for mutation. That's probably from the Latin word mutare meaning "to change". I made all that up but the sad thing was that when I checked the internet, I was actually right. . . .
Maybe I should read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th edition (1910) and then write a book about that. . . .it's really considered literature with contributors such as John Muir and Bertrand Russell. Well, maybe not. I might end up, as Ammon Shea ends up, with stronger prescription eyesight and chronic backaches.
Highly recommended for all you other word geeks out there. show less
Two of these words I have already started saying in my daily life:
Prend - noun - a mended crack. Every Sunday I now look at my Sunday tea cup - the one from Colorado Capital Bank that shattered into several pieces when I dropped a juice glass on top of it (which also shattered into several pieces) and which my husband lovingly glued back together - and I say "Look at all these prends".
Inadvertist - noun - One who persistently fails to take notice show more of things. Can you say "clueless"? I've been using this word each morning during rush hour when clueless motorists cut me off and then drive 15 miles an hour under the speed limit talking on their cell phones. The world is full of inadvertists who inadvertantly do stupid things.
Then there are other words that I would love to say but I know I won't remember:
Apricity - noun - The warmth of the sun in winter.
Hypergelast - noun - A person who will not stop laughing.
And did you know disrespect was used as a verb hundreds of years ago? "He's disrespectin' me" is nothing new.
One thing that made this book delightful is not only that the author lists all these great words, he makes comments after all these words. Some of his comments made me laugh so much I cried. Example:
Unbepissed - adjective - Not having been urinated on; unwet with urine. "Who ever thought there was an actual need for such a word? Is it possible that at some time there was such a profusion of things that HAD been urinated on that there was a pressing need to distinguish those that had not?"
When the author went to attend the biannual conference of the Dictionary Society of North America I was actually jealous. What fun! I, too, want to read a dictionary and talk about words with other like-minded geeky souls. Then again, maybe I need a break from all of this. The other day I was reading the comics in the paper and got to "Mutts" and thought - hmmm, probably short for mutation. That's probably from the Latin word mutare meaning "to change". I made all that up but the sad thing was that when I checked the internet, I was actually right. . . .
Maybe I should read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica 11th edition (1910) and then write a book about that. . . .it's really considered literature with contributors such as John Muir and Bertrand Russell. Well, maybe not. I might end up, as Ammon Shea ends up, with stronger prescription eyesight and chronic backaches.
Highly recommended for all you other word geeks out there. show less
A book - and a writer - after my own heart. I would have enjoyed this all-too-short book had it been six times its size. Every bookworm proclivity of mine was satisfied with this masterpiece of knowledge, etymology, humor and flat-out supernerdiness. Most fascinating were the English-word rare finds that are perfect stand-ins for well known words in other languages that fully explain specific phenomena. Almost shocking is that he ponders in the afterword what his next project will be, and tinkers with the idea of reading the phone book, which he eventually did. I want to write the next book in the progression. I'm obsessing over it.
Unlike Ammon Shea's project to read the entire OED, reading his book about reading the OED is a quick and pretty simple task.
His prose is light and more amiable than you'd expect if you took his descriptions of himself (as a fairly asocial loner) at face value. The text style reminded me a little of Bill Bryson or David Sedaris.
At the end of each chapter he provides a few sample headwords from the OED, with his own paraphrasing of one definition for each, followed by a little (often snarky) commentary in which he perhaps sees himself in the role of Ambrose Bierce. His selection of words include those amusing for their bizarrely tiny area of applicability, those that should be better known because of the commonness of the situation they show more describe, and those that merely seemed interesting to him at the time. Purely based on the statistics of the dictionary, the vast majority of these are obscure words, but each of us will know a few of them. show less
His prose is light and more amiable than you'd expect if you took his descriptions of himself (as a fairly asocial loner) at face value. The text style reminded me a little of Bill Bryson or David Sedaris.
At the end of each chapter he provides a few sample headwords from the OED, with his own paraphrasing of one definition for each, followed by a little (often snarky) commentary in which he perhaps sees himself in the role of Ambrose Bierce. His selection of words include those amusing for their bizarrely tiny area of applicability, those that should be better known because of the commonness of the situation they show more describe, and those that merely seemed interesting to him at the time. Purely based on the statistics of the dictionary, the vast majority of these are obscure words, but each of us will know a few of them. show less
I absolutely loved this book. Each of the twenty-six chapters begins with a small essay on the process and mindset of reading the OED and follows it up with some of Ammon Shea's favorite words from that letter. The definitions are interesting enough, but Shea's editorial comments on them are hilarious. His dry wit elevates the book to the kind of writing that causes other people to edge away from you in waiting rooms. Highly recommended for all word enthusiasts and fans of reference books.
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Author Information
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Ammon Shea is the author of Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, along with Depraved English, Insulting English, and The Phone Book. A dictionary collector, he has worked as a consulting editor of American dictionaries at Oxford University Press. He has also contributed to the "On Language" column in Sunday's New York Times and has show more reviewed language books for the New York Times Book Review. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. show less
Work Relationships
Is a commentary on the text of
Common Knowledge
- Original title
- Reading the OED
- Alternate titles
- Satisdiction; Reading the Oxford English Dictionary
- Original publication date
- 2008
- Epigraph
- The dictionary is never consulted in its entirety.
Henri Béjoint, Tradition and Innovation
in Modern English Dictionaries - Dedication
- For Alix, who helps me define the world
- First words
- There are some great words in the Oxford English Dictionary.
My Oxford English Dictionary arrives at 9:27 one Monday morning, brought by a deliveryman who is much cheerier than I would have expected anyone carrying 150 pounds of books up a flight of stairs to be. - Quotations
- “I’m reading the OED so you don’t have to. If you are interested in vocabulary that is both spectacularly useful and beautifully useless, read on...”
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)It is the greatest story I've ever read.
- Canonical LCC
- PE1617.O94 S54
- Disambiguation notice
- Later published in paperback in 2010 as: Satisdiction.
Classifications
- Genres
- Reference, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 423.028 — Language English & Old English languages Dictionaries of standard English standard subdivisions Miscellany Auxiliary techniques and procedures; apparatus, equipment, materials
- LCC
- PE1617 .O94 .S54 — Language and Literature English language English Modern English
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 863
- Popularity
- 31,371
- Reviews
- 41
- Rating
- (3.72)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
- 9
