Words of the World

A global history of the Oxford English Dictionary.

In Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary, linguist, lexicographer and former OED editor, Sarah Ogilvie, lifts the lid on the hidden history of the OED and explores some of the common myths about its British roots.

She reveals how it began life as a crowd-sourced project, 'the original Wikipedia', created by hundreds of dedicated readers and editors around the world; she argues that the OED in its coverage of World English is in fact a global text; and she reveals for the first time how the OED's original editors fought hard to include foreign words in the face of intense criticism from their superiors – refuting the long-held view that they were Anglo-centric Oxford dons obsessed with preserving the 'Queen's English'.

Told with insider knowledge and the verve of a master storyteller, Words of the World, throws fresh light on the forgotten history of a controversial British icon.