I love an online dictionary. So handy when composing on the computer and I need to check a definition or find a synonym. And I am happy with the e-book feature, that with just a touch of my finger on an unknown word, displays its definition.
But I am old school enough that I have seven English dictionaries on my bookshelves. They range in copyright date from 1906 to 1985. Four of the hardcover editions are thick books with the little thumbnail cut-in indexes identifying each letter. One is a "vest pocket dictionary for constant use" that belonged to my grandfather. Some of them are illustrated in black and white. One dictionary (copyright 1938) has pages of color illustrations that are spectacular - a mounted knight in full armor, insects of North America, and maps of the world.
I was going to do just one post on all these treasures, but I got to looking through them and they are each so interesting that I will take my time, explore them, and write about them individually.
I will start with the two that are paperbacks that I keep around for sentimental reasons. One is The New Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary (1971) that I bought new for 75 cents. That is the price on the cover! It claims to have over 45,000 vocabulary entries contained in it 692 pages. It also has a section of foreign words and phrases; a listing of the population of places in the United States and in Canada as of 1970; and, a list of abbreviations.
There is a section titled New Words for a New Decade which includes, among others, seltzer, bamboo curtain, juicer, moon shot, and helipad.
I bought this dictionary to use in my first job as a journalist for a weekly newspaper in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is well-worn but the type is now too small for me to read. (Alas, aging eyes.)
Last entry: zymase n : an enzyme or enzyme complex that promotes fermentation of simple sugars
The other paperback edition is The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1974) which is based on Webster's Third New International Dictionary and Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. The price on this one is $3.75. I bought it in the 1990s when I decided to become a freelance writer, but why I bought a dictionary with a 20-year-old copyright is curious. There are 57,000 entries in this edition. It has the same 1970 census figures and now includes a section of Signs and Symbols (including weather symbols and marks used in stamp collecting) and Pronunciation Symbols. It comes with helpful explanatory notes on how the entries are set up. It has 848 pages and the type is much clearer.
Last entry: zymurgy n : chemistry dealing with fermentation processes
Noah Webster produced the first truly American dictionary in 1806. In 1828 he completed his two volume edition that had 70,000 entries, standard American spelling of some words, and included words such as skunk and hickory which were not in British dictionaries. In 1843 printers George and Charles Merriam bought the rights to Mr. Webster's 1841 edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language. The company's first paperback dictionary was published in 1947.
The covers on both paperback dictionaries are bright red (though the first one is now a bit faded) and both at one time or another sat close by on my desk - their size and weight the perfect word companions.
I love words...so having dictionaries around is a must. Have you ever read The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary? It's a great read. (I looked in my small Random House dictionary and zymurgy is its last word, too.)
ReplyDeleteYes, Lark, I have read Winchester's book about the OED. Wasn't it wonderful! I really must read it again now that I am on this dictionary kick.
DeleteYou know you're a true word lover when you have seven dictionaries! I'm impressed :)! It's not hard to get drawn into a dictionary once you've picked it up to look something up. I never escape with just that one reference.
ReplyDeleteWell, Kathy, I am both a true word lover and a dictionary hoarder! I am finding that the additional information included in the dictionaries - not just the definitions - is just as fascinating as the words! And the Usage Panel members in a couple of the dictionaries are surely a list of Who's Who in literature.
DeleteI just hit comment to ask you a question but Lark beat me to it! I thought The Professor and the Madman was a great read too.
ReplyDeleteI'd be lost without my Webster's Instant Word Guide - 35,000 words spelled and divided (and zymurgy is the last word!). I used it a lot when I was a legal secretary (one of the attorneys was always using unfamiliar words and this was before Spell check would give you ideas on what you might be trying to spell!).
I went to school with a girl who used to read the dictionary. Thought she was weird but now not so much...
Joyce in KS
Joyce, those word guides for spelling and dividing are so useful. I know I had one myself at some time. I can get lost in just about any page in the dictionary. I especially like the illustrated ones that show you what the tool or bird or tree leaf actually looks like.
DeleteDictionaries are such great companions. I have always lusted after the complete Oxford English Dictionary that comes in two volumes with microscopic reductions of the pages of the big one, and with a magnifying glass.
ReplyDeleteOh I know what you mean, Vicki. The OED with the magnifying glass is so romantic!
DeleteI really need to invest in one of those book stands that I can put either on a table top or place in a corner and have one of my dictionaries on display and at the ready! With or without magnifying glass...
I just noticed at my local library and was wondering if anyone has read "The meaning of everything : the story of the Oxford English Dictionary" by Simon Winchester. I enjoyed very much "The Professor and the Madman" as many have commented. I envy (just a little) anyone who owns an electronic reader for the dictionary capability, it must be very handy, but as I am a Luddite I will stick with my favourite thin paged dog-eared dictionary!
ReplyDeleteTullik, I saw this book somewhere and thought it was just a re-titling of 'The Professor and the Madman'. I see now that I was oh so wrong. Another one for The List.
DeleteI love the dictionary function of the e-books. I confess that I can be soooo lazy about stopping in the middle of reading to look up a word...even with all my dictionaries! Of course, now when I am reading a Real Book, I find myself wanting to tap on an unfamiliar word for the definition. It gets confusing!
I enjoyed this, Belle, and look forward to your other editions.
ReplyDeleteI have four older dictionaries on the shelf right above where I write. One is the 1949 edition, the year of my birth, of the Webster's Illustrated Dictionary with the last entry as zymurgy. Interestingly, spellcheck is showing Webster's in red, not recognizing the spelling - which is one reason why I keep dictionaries close at hand.
Good for you, Penny. I am happy to hear you share my belief that one can't have too many dictionaries. That is funny about spell check and Webster's. What would Noah think about that?!
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