Call Shea crazy. He reads the entire OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY in one year and extols upon the fascinating, unusual, and useless words it compiles. William Dufris is the perfect narrator for this book. The words trip easily and clearly from his lips as he brings the many mysteries of the English language to listeners, including the meanings of words we have never known, long forgotten, or always wondered about. Never boring, often funny, Shea describes his experiences reading in his local library as well as the reactions of his friends to his yearlong project. Best of all, Dufris reads every word with enthusiasm, tempting the listener to delve into a dictionary just for the fun of it. M.B.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
""I'm reading the OED so you don't have to. If you are interested in vocabulary that is both spectacularly useful and beautifully useless, read on...""
So reports Ammon Shea, the tireless, word-obsessed, and more than slightly masochistic author of Reading the OED. The word lover's Mount Everest, the OED has enthralled logophiles since its initial publication 80 years ago. Weighing in at 137 pounds, it is the dictionary to end all dictionaries.
In 26 chapters filled with sharp wit, sheer delight, and a documentarian's keen eye, Shea shares his year inside the OED, delivering a hair-pulling, eye-crossing account of reading every word, and revealing the most obscure, hilarious, and wonderful gems he discovers along the way.
""I'm reading the OED so you don't have to. If you are interested in vocabulary that is both spectacularly useful and beautifully useless, read on...""
So reports Ammon Shea, the tireless, word-obsessed, and more than slightly masochistic author of Reading the OED. The word lover's Mount Everest, the OED has enthralled logophiles since its initial publication 80 years ago. Weighing in at 137 pounds, it is the dictionary to end all dictionaries.
In 26 chapters filled with sharp wit, sheer delight, and a documentarian's keen eye, Shea shares his year inside the OED, delivering a hair-pulling, eye-crossing account of reading every word, and revealing the most obscure, hilarious, and wonderful gems he discovers along the way.
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Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages
![Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages](http://vs-images.bn-web.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.11.1)
Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages
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Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170297801 |
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Publisher: | HarperCollins |
Publication date: | 10/14/2008 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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