Lost for Words: The Hidden History of the Oxford English Dictionary

How much blood, sweat and tears, not to mention time-49 years instead of the contracted 10-were invested in creating the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary! By revealing the storied history behind the formidable text, Mugglestone (Talking Proper: The Rise of Accent of Social Symbol) brings to life the histories of our lexicon and of the key players who painstakingly saw it into type. Central to the narrative are the numerous conflicts between the dictionary's editors and the delegates of the 19th-century Oxford University Press. The subjects of these clashes ranged from finance to time (in the first seven years, the editors didn't get past the letter ""b"") to concerns about space. The editors and delegates also struggled with issues of omission and correctness. For example, whereas the delegates protested the inclusion of ""bad English"" (i.e., slang, popular phrases and scientific jargon), editor-in-chief James Murray held fast to his vision of an ""ideal dictionary"" that would serve as an impartial, comprehensive inventory of the English language. This aspiration would prove elusive. Prudish Victorian norms prevailed over ""vulgar"" terminology, and words like ""condom"" were excised from the first edition, which was appropriately titled A New English Dictionary on Historical Principals. These battles are what make this book such a fascinating history, not only of how the OED came to be but of the cultural, racial and gender biases of the period. Though Mugglestone's tone can be overly academic, bibliophiles who loved The Professor and the Madman will relish this account.