? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

It wasn’t just Samuel Johnson who contributed to the Oxford English Dictionary: in her book, TheDictionary People: The Unsung Heroes Who Created the Oxford English Dictionary, author Sarah Ogilvie is passionate about unveiling the unsung heroes who contributed to its creation, revealing a wide range of characters responsible for the final product: Murderers and even the daughter of Karl Marx made the cut alongside ordinary laymen.

First proposed as “an historical monument, the history of a nation contemplated from one point of view,” the OED would be set apart from its counterparts by including current and archaic words, high blown and vulgar, and their etymology over history with supporting evidence for their usage. This is where the public was brought in to complete the 50 year long project.

Curious as they may be, these contributors helped shape how we read, write, and speak, for the past 70 years. Ogilvie calls it a “crowdsourcing endeavor,” likening it to the “Wikipedia of its time,” so it’s only right that we identify who played a role in the usage of words as we know them.

Research and dedication: Ogilvie clearly put in a lot of work compiling the information in her book, and she does a great job of relaying it in an approachable manner. Her genuine interest and enthusiasm in the topic is clear from the very beginning, which makes the text more engaging.

The chapter breakdown is a little haphazard though. There are 26 in total, one for each letter of the alphabet, which is admittedly a clever categorization, but at times it seems that she would try to cater or conform her story to the designated letter of the chapter. At times, this can make it so that the writing isn’t super cohesive, but it is interesting nonetheless.

You can find the book onAmazon.

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