Author: Sarah Ogilvie
Rating: 5 stars / 5 stars
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Favorite Quote: “History is littered with artificial languages that begin as idealist endeavors, with the aim of uniting all peoples, but turn into political movements that ultimately implode in acrimonious disputes.” Ogilvie, Sarah. The Dictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary. Albert A. Knopf, 2023, pg. 314.
Review: Okay, full disclosure. I am OBSESSED with the Oxford English Dictionary. I first began my appreciation for it in college, and then in law school my love of it was officially ingrained in the very core of my academic soul. Every time I think about quitting my job, I consider going back to school just so that I can have access to academic databases again - specifically the Oxford English Dictionary database.
So, when I took a peek at the inaugural Women’s Prize for Nonfiction longlist and saw an ENTIRE book about the OED…I. Was. Hooked. I predicted it would be a 5 star read and it ABSOLUTELY was. (For context - I had a very unpleasant medical procedure during the period of time I was reading this, and despite feeling more horrendous than I ever have…I still rated it a 5 out of 5 while sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room upon finishing it.)
So…what’s the deal?
Prior to writing this book, author Sarah Ogilvie actually worked for the Oxford English Dictionary, ultimately ending up at its home in Oxford after working in one of its satellite offices at the beginning of her career. (Did you know the OED has a satellite office? Sign. Me. Up.)
As her time at the OED came to a close, she discovered the address book of one of the past editors of the OED when it was in its near-infancy. This address book itself told a story of names, words, and tiny symbols that indicated how useful (or not) the person was to the creation of the dictionary. And from there, Ogilvie began an exploration of who, exactly, contributed to the birth of the OED by contributing words, definitions, and context for the countless words that appeared in the OED in its original form.
Much like the beloved dictionary itself, each chapter is actually divided by letter, ranging from “A is for Archaeologist” to “Z is for Zealots.” And between these letters, a global story of difference, unity, and centuries spanned with a shared love of the English language (in all the different ways it tried to manifest through the years - see the section on Spelling Reform efforts) is told. And I loved every moment.
Ogilvie finds an impeccable balance of academic text and exemplary storytelling. Readers are drawn into the world of these anglophiles - some professional, many not - and are just as likely to learn about their interior lives as they are the words they contributed to the early efforts of the OED.
She also shares the details of her process - and notes when her assertions are educated guesses informed by diligent research rather than provable facts (of which, she documents many).
This book is an insider’s view of the OED institution, looking retrospectively to the many contributors of the OED who never quite made it to insider status. It also tells the story of the OED’s almost present - how words continue to be added and edited, and the people who still, after all these years, still send their contributions so that the English language, in its many forms, can continue to be preserved.
I know I normally write about the issues with the book at this point in my review - but honestly, I’m so much of a fangirl that I can’t quite think of any criticisms, though I’m sure there are some. Check back in the comments in days, months, years to come as I revisit this text time and time again, and maybe I’ll find something to add.
About that Quote: While this book is, in many ways, a book about language, it is, more than anything, about words that contribute to a language, rather than the language itself. However, sprinkled throughout is a broader look at how language was treated during the infancy of the OED. There were folks trying to reform spelling to make it more accessible, and folks ready to discard English altogether to create a more unifying language. This quote summarizes a theme that is woven throughout each chapter - that words, that language, can be transformative, polarizing, political, unifying, and destabilizing.
Have you read The Dictionary People? Share your thoughts below!
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