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The Meaning of Everything

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About this listen

The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary was a remarkable achievement, and a story of determination, hard work and inspired research. Simon Winchester, with his characteristic gift for bringing history to life, charts the fascinating life of the OED leading up to the appointment of the first editor, James Murray, in 1879, through to the OED's triumphant publication in 1928 and beyond.

The Meaning of Everything is a must for anyone with an interest in language and words.

©2003 Simon Winchester (P)2004 W F Howes Ltd Europe European Great Britain Literary History & Criticism World Literature
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Of those not already fascinated by philology and lexicography, few could believe how intriguing this story is: a tale of determined and often difficult and eccentric people. Winchester's account of this massive linguistic achievement is a work of fine scholarship but written with a lovely light touch which sparkles in his own narration.

Biography of a dictionary

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A really fascinating insight into the OED. Simon Winchester's narration is spot on. Highly recommended.

Excellent writing, beautiful narration

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Sometimes—well quite often actually—when the author also narrates, it's a bit disappointing. No so here. Simon Winchester's delivery of his own work is magisterial. Which matches the story of the Oxford English Dictionary perfectly.

A great audiobook, I've listened to it over and over.

Fascinating, engagingly-narrated story of OED

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A truly wonderful book, written and read with a clear passion.
Random background music keeps playing for 5 second periods at odd points in the recording. Other than that..... wonderful.

Amazingly detailed

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I had never appreciated the effort and the decades dedicated to the creation of the OED. for me, it was a revelation that was as painstakingly represented in this audio book, as it was in the OED's preparation.
I was surprised and disappointed that the author chose a pronunciation of "mischiev-ee-ous" in his narration.

This was a fascinating account of how the OED came about

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