{"product_id":"the-oxford-english-dictionary-20-volume-set-9780198611868","title":"The Oxford English Dictionary: 20 Volume Set","description":"Eighty years ago, the \"greatest work in dictionary-making ever undertaken\" was completed. And with its enormous range, unparalleled historical depth, detailed etymologies, and inexhaustible supply of illustrative quotations, it has enriched the lives of writers, readers, and word-lovers of all stripes ever since. Begun in 1857, published in ten volumes in 1928, subsequently revised and expanded to 20 volumes in 1989, and now adopted to the electronic age, the \u003cem\u003eOED\u003c\/em\u003e has become the most venerated and most beloved English-language reference ever compiled. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe key feature of the \u003cem\u003eOED\u003c\/em\u003e, of course, is its unique historical focus. Accompanying each definition is a chronologically arranged group of quotations that illustrate the evolution of meaning from the word's first recorded usage and show the contexts in which it can be used. The quotations are drawn from a huge variety of sources--literary, scholarly, technical, popular-and represent authors as disparate as Geoffrey Chaucer and Erica Jong, William Shakespeare and Raymond Chandler, Charles Darwin and John Le Carre. In all, nearly 2.5 million quotations--illustrating over a half-million words--can be found in the \u003cem\u003eOED\u003c\/em\u003e. Other features distinguishing the entries in the dictionary are the most authoritative definitions, detailed information on pronunciation, variant spellings throughout each word's history, extensive treatment of etymology, and details of area of usage and of any regional characteristics (including geographical origins). \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e A dictionary like no other in the world, the \u003cem\u003eOED\u003c\/em\u003e has been described as \"among the wonders of the world of scholarship.\" Reflecting upon the \u003cem\u003eDictionary\u003c\/em\u003e's 80 years, that statement is today more apt than it ever has been. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlso available online at: www.oed.com\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJ. A. Simpson\u003c\/strong\u003e worked on the \u003cem\u003eSupplement to the Oxford English Dictionary\u003c\/em\u003e and prepared the \u003cem\u003eConcise Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs\u003c\/em\u003e, which was published in 1982. \u003cstrong\u003eE. S. C. Weiner\u003c\/strong\u003e also served on the editorial staff of the \u003cem\u003eSupplement\u003c\/em\u003e and compiled the \u003cem\u003eOxford Guide to English Usage\u003c\/em\u003e, which was published in 1983.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Clarendon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50697242607890,"sku":"9780198611868","price":1202.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_9fda2bb4-67e5-4dbc-83ca-9a238fa86db5.jpg?v=1734297195","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-oxford-english-dictionary-20-volume-set-9780198611868","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}