The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary - Simon Winchester

The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester is a fascinating book about the original concept and the eventual execution of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is written by Simon Winchester and is, indeed, a fascinating book.

However, Winchester makes some errors that do tend to spoil what would otherwise have been a exceptionally good read. For example, he commits the sin of over-researching, and, having done too much research, insists ...
...For example, it transpired that the official dinner marking the launch of the completed Oxford English Dictionary took place on Derby Day, and also on the same day that Edward, Prince of Wales, was holding a party. Winchester goes on to describe some of the newsworthy events of that day, plus the Derby Day, the dance and the dinner (even to listing the menu and the extensive wine list!) with somewhat tedious detail. All rather superfluous. The minutia ... more

The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester is a fascinating book about the original concept and the eventual execution of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is written by Simon Winchester and is, indeed, a fascinating book.

However, Winchester makes some errors that do tend to spoil what would otherwise have been a exceptionally good read. For example, he commits the sin of over-researching, and, having done too much research, insists on cramming every atom of research into the book.

For example, it transpired that the official dinner marking the launch of the completed Oxford English Dictionary took place on Derby Day, and also on the same day that Edward, Prince of Wales, was holding a party. Winchester goes on to describe some of the newsworthy events of that day, plus the Derby Day, the dance and the dinner (even to listing the menu and the extensive wine list!) with somewhat tedious detail. All rather superfluous. The minutia of life, suitable for an article but perhaps striking a jarring note in this book. A pity.

Winchester next gives a brief yet interesting outline of the history and development of the English language from pre-Roman times to the modern era.

Oxford English Dictionary, with a paper presented to the Philological Society in 1857.

He describes the next 71 years of the history of the dictionary, and the large cast of people who came and went throughout that time. There was the colourful, erudite yet deeply eccentric Frederick Furnival (much known for setting up sculling clubs for somewhat buxom young ladies) and the more sensible James Murray, who steered the whole enterprise through some exceptionally stormy seas, when the whole project was put at risk by the meddlesome interference by Benjamin Jowett, a man who, if he did not know everything worth knowing, certainly like to give the impression that such was, indeed the case.

The book is written in a witty and amusing style. Though sometimes, it has to be said, there is a concern that maybe, just maybe, one or two of the jokes are a little misplaced, perhaps?

The cast of luminaries who were involved with the tedious and exacting lexicographical grind that went in to creating the OED is mildly interesting. JRR Tolkien, Coleridge, James Henry Augustus, to name only a few.

The book is a truly remarkable effort to describe the long and very tortuous gestation period of what was to become the best known and most often referred to English language dictionary in the entire world.

Winchester also points out why other dictionaries (Johnson's. Webster's, for example) failed to be the dictionary that the OED was to become. I feel, however, that the criticism that Winchester hurled at Johnson was especially unfair, as it failed to acknowledge that Johnson had no financial support whatsoever and that the compilers of the OED did, indeed, have considerable financial backing, though, of course, it must be realised that, at times, things did get a little tight, financially.

Winchester also relates that the methods used by the compilers (slips of paper with the word on top left and the space beneath for definitions and cited quotations) is still, effectively, much the same used to this day by the teams of lexicographers who toil, ceaselessly, to keep the OED up to date.

There is also much, deserved, space given to the thousands of volunteers who acidulously combed through millions of books, magazines and letters to locate and codify the meanings of words and their fist recorded usage.

Some of these people were just ordinary people involved in an extraordinary endeavour. Some of them, however, were far from ordinary. There was the virtual hermit, the American academic Fitzedward Hall, who lived, as a recluse, in a cottage in East Anglia. This after a series of incredible adventures including being shipwrecked off the coast of India.

And there was the truly extraordinary case of a fellow American, a doctor of medicine, William Chester Minor. After many harrowing experiences as a field surgeon in the Unionist Army during the American Civil War, Minor had some kind of a breakdown. He was quietly pensioned off. He left America to go to England. His condition, however, did not improve. It became worse and he shot dead an innocent man in Lambeth. He gave himself up to the police and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. He was ordered to be held at Broadmoor in Berkshire. A modern facility for housing people who were "criminal lunatics." From his two rooms in Broadmoor, Minor made some important contributions to the vital research work which is the basis for any good dictionary.

Such was the value of his contributions that the editorial staff of the dictionary erroneously presumed that Doctor Minor was a member of the medical staff at Broadmoor, rather than being a patient/inmate.

Is this book flawed? Yes, it is. But what of it? It is still an extremely interesting and very readable book, which I can heartily recommend to all who have ever made use of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is published by the OUP, and the published price is £7.99 paperback, though check through Ciao's price comparison service to see if you can obtain it for a better price.
 

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