Product Description

From the beginning, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary was intended to be an abridgement of the full Oxford English Dictionary. The first editor, William Little, was appointed in 1902. He worked on it until his death in 1922, after which the dictionary was completed by H. W. Fowler, Jessie Coulson, and C. T. Onions. The First Edition was published in 1933, in two volumes. The Second Edition, published in 1936, contained about 3,000 revisions and additions. The Third Edition (1944) contained an appendix of addenda and corrigenda, and this edition was reprinted several times with corrections and additions, the most significant being in 1973, with enlarged addenda (now running to over 70 pages) and a major revision of all the etymologies. The New Shorter was prepared under the editorship of Lesley Brown 1980-1993. It was the first complete revision of the dictionary, being in fact not so much an overhaul of the existing text as a reabridgement of the OED and its Supplements. The Fifth Edition was published in 2002, and reverted to the name Shorter Oxford English Dictionary to emphasize the link between this 2-volume dictionary and the original 20-volume OED. The Sixth Edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary provides a complete update of this unique reference work. Based on the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary contains an incredible one-third of the coverage of the Oxford English Dictionary, is just one-tenth of the size, and includes all words in current English from 1700 to the present day, plus the vocabulary of Shakespeare, the Bible and other major works in English from before 1700. The new edition, with a new introductory essay by language expert David Crystal on the History of English, includes 2,500 new words and senses, plus thousands of antedatings of existing words, drawing on the huge ongoing research project for the Oxford English Dictionary and the wealth of information on language in use provided by the Oxford English Corpus. In addition, the work includes many new quotations from recent authors, a refreshed design, and a complete review of spelling forms and defining vocabulary, making it the most authoritative reference work available for both modern and historical English. For scholars and everyone with a serious interest in the English language, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is an unrivalled resource, providing a unique description of the historical development of the language together with excellent coverage of current English. The Sixth Edition showcases the best of the traditional strengths of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, while bringing it up to date in its scholarship and research, in the design and layout, and in its treatment of the changing face of English.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13282 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Hardcover
• 3742 pages

Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year
'The new edition... has proved an authoritative, reliable, constantly surprising friend'

Review
The new edition... has proved an authoritative, reliable, constantly surprising friend. (Mark Sanderson, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year )

It is thoughtful in its definitions, systematic in its arrangement. It will help the careful user of words to be rightly understood. (John Whale, TLS )

Customer Reviews

The Next best thing to the 20 Volume Edition
If you cannot afford the £750 for the 20 Volume edition of The Oxford English Dictionary, or if you do not have the shelf space to put them upon, then this is the edition to get. The two great volumes contain nearly four thousand pages, more than half a million definitions, and eighty-five thousand quotations illustrating the meanings and context of many words. What more could you ask for?
Whenever I come across a new word or one I am not sure of the definition, I turn to my copy of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary and find a lot more information than I expected. It is the kind of book that you think you only put on a shelf and refer to it "once in a blue moon", but when you discover all sorts of interesting words and etymologies of common words you want to look further. It is my number one reference book.

Does the job
This is without a doubt the most useful dictionary I have ever bought. It's not oversized as it comes in two standard dictionary-sized volumes and fits neatly on the shelf. I am happy that it contains extended definitions plus contextual passages to back the words up. The sheer number of words contained in the dictionary makes it one of the most comprehensive dictionaries available.

I have noticed that many people have given this product negative reviews due to the CD contained, however I find the CD to be an irrelevance to the dictionary as a whole and give it five stars in spite of the discontent expressed by some of the customers. For anyone who is familiar with the dictionary game, this is perfect as it contains a vast plethora of words which I never knew existed!

Good but problematic
It goes without saying that is an authoritative and enjoyable work. Ths CD is very useful. HOWEVER - The CD is spoilt by number points which detract greatly from its brilliance. The pronunciation guide is extremely useful, but not without errors. The phonetic guide appears loosely based on the IPA (intnl phonetic alphabet) though has some eccentric departures which only act to confuse if you are familiar with the system. The audio pronunciation help is generally good, though I have found occasions when the audio contradicts the phonetic spelling given (eg Byzantine - see for yourself).
Also, and this next part is extremely irritating, is that Oxford persists in using circular references. If you are not a lingusit or lexicographer, this basically means using the headword (the word to be defined) in the definition itself. For example the noun 'homage' - in def 3 is described as 'homage'. If you then go to the verb form of the word, the definition is given as 'Pay homage'. This is lazy lexicography and very disappointing.