Josh Becker Recommends Reading the OED

Josh Becker -- Library Journal, 12/15/2008 8:11:00 AM

Recommendation: Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages by Ammon Shea. Not only does it give you a bunch of quirky and obscure words (with hilariously misanthropic definitions to boot) that I’ll probably never get to use, but it also provides fascinating insight into how the editors of the dictionaries we take for granted find joy and creativity in their jobs.

Ideal recipient: People who love reading. Shea’s most remarkable accomplishment is getting readers to care about the Oxford English Dictionary and his time spent reading it. Reference librarians familiar with the OED are especially encouraged to read this book to gain a new appreciation of their dictionaries.

Nonbook Tie-in: Reading glasses. If you try to replicate Shea’s achievement, you’ll need them.