No one can deny that the Oxford English Dictionary is the supreme example of the lexicographer's art, occupying several yards of shelving and weighing more than 100 pounds. Although I have owned the two-volume microtype version for many years, I have always lusted for the real thing. When I was recently offered the set after writing an essay for Oxford University Press, I opted for the CD-ROM version.
Am I glad I did! I now possess a miraculous artifact, infinitely superior to the ink-and-paper implementation. Apart from the speed with which I can look up a word, it has search facilities that, although we now take them for granted, would have seemed utterly miraculous just a couple of decades ago.
It also gave my ego a boost. I typed "A C Clarke" in the text search box and was utterly astonished to find no fewer than 68 quotations from my books, illustrating the usage of a variety of words. I never would have discovered this using the print dictionary - for one thing because I wouldn't look up words I'd already used myself!
Oxford English Dictionary CD-ROM, Second Edition: US$895. Oxford University Press: +1 (212) 726 6000.
STREET CRED
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