The Best English Dictionary Books of All Time

A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION FINALIST • The New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice • A history and celebration of the many far-flung volunteers who helped define the English language, word by word. “Enthralling and exuberant, Sarah Ogilvie tells the surprising story of the making of the OED. Philologists, fantasists, crackpots, criminals, career spinsters, suffragists, and Australians: here is a wonder book for word lovers.” —Jeanette Winterson, author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.

The Oxford English Dictionary is one of mankind’s greatest achievements, and yet, curiously, its creators are almost never considered. Who were the people behind this unprecedented book? As Sarah Ogilvie reveals, they include three murderers, a collector of pornography, the daughter of Karl Marx, a president of Yale, a radical suffragette, a vicar who was later found dead in the cupboard of his chapel, an inventor of the first American subway, a female anti-slavery activist in Philadelphia . . . and thousands of others. Of deep transgenerational and broad appeal, a thrilling literary detective story that, for the first time, unravels the mystery of the endlessly fascinating contributors the world over who, for over seventy years, helped to codify the way we read and write and speak. It was the greatest crowdsourcing endeavor in human history, the Wikipedia of its time. The Dictionary People is a celebration of words, language, and people, whose eccentricities and obsessions, triumphs, and failures enriched the English language.

“The Collins English Dictionary is a book to be treasured, no home should be without one." The Times The largest single-volume English dictionary in print celebrates the extraordinary breadth and changing nature of world English, with more than 732,000 words, meanings and phrases. Updated with the very latest new words and senses, this is an unparalleled resource for word lovers, word gamers and word geeks everywhere. It draws on Collins’ extensive language databases and covers many literary and rare words useful for crossword solvers and setters as well as Scrabble players.

Ideal for use at work, at home and for study – new words, new meanings and new uses are tracked by Collins’ lexicographers who monitor language change around the world. This, along with suggestions from the public on the award-winning collinsdictionary.com, ensures Collins English Dictionary truly is the home of living language. More place names and biographical entries – with over 9,500 place names and 7,300 biographies you will find thousands of fascinating facts and figures at your fingertips. The latest edition is beautifully designed and printed, and now with a protective slipcase, and is surprisingly light and easy to hold. Designed for day-to-day use, with a clear layout and virtual thumb tabs.

A revised and updated edition of the best-selling dictionary covering core vocabulary with over a hundred new entries and senses. More than 75,000 definitions and 8,000 usage examples aid understanding―and cover the words you need todayIncludes pronunciations, word origins, and synonym lists Features useful tables and special sections on Foreign Words & Phrases and Geographical Names. New words include: athleisure, coronavirus, escape room, First Gentleman, herd immunity, hygge, on-brand, outro, patient zero, petrichor, PPE, telehealth, unmute, UX, and YouTuber.