Oxford English Dictionary: 20 vol. print set & CD ROM
by E. Weiner, J. Simpson
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Book Summary Information
Author: E. Weiner, J. SimpsonEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-11-16
ISBN: 0199573158
Number of pages: 21728
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Oxford English Dictionary: 20 vol. print set & CD ROM
Book Review: Production Quality of the OED 2nd (print) edition
Summary: 5 Stars
RE: Production Quality of OED 2nd Edition (print version)
My copy of the OED 2nd edition is the third printing. It was printed and bound by World Color Book Services, at Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1998, nearly 13 years ago, timed perhaps for the huge price drop around that time.
Purchase of a print copy of OED2 ought to be a well considered decision. There are features of this set, besides price, which might make it an imposition to own. This is a massive set of books. Each volume is approximately 12.5 x 9.5 x 2.3 inches and weighs about 8 lbs. These books are too heavy and awkward for reading in bed. They need to be read at a spacious, well lighted table. What's more, the whole set needs at least 45 inches of sturdy shelving. If you anticipate relocating your residence, packing and lugging 320 lbs of books isn't likely to ease the process.
My set came packed in 20 individually sealed and printed corrugated cartons, with each box displaying volume number and contents. This would seem to insure that each volume will have arrived in perfect condition. Nevertheless, one book of my set had a binding defect--a roughly sheered block. The seller replaced the volume without question. After almost 12 years of use, I have not discovered any other defects.
The OED2 bindings are handsome, with gilt stamped lettering on deep royal blue buckram. There is no embossing, but the books sport attractive blue and white endpapers tastefully decorated with the Oxford University arms, (crown and manuscript) along with its motto: "DOMINUS ILLUMINATIO MEA"*. This image repeats in miniature so as to fully cover the endpapers, which are of thick durable stock.
The bindings are robust, with extra-heavy boards and sturdy hinges. The block is glued rather than sewn, so the books do not lie as flat as I might prefer, but the glue seems supple and well applied to the cross-slitted signatures, and I've experienced no spine splitting or loosening pages.
The dust jackets are on thick plastic coated stock. These books are likely to be consulted often, and due to their bulk, the jackets are likely to be damaged over the years, so I recommend covering the jackets in tough, clear, mylar protectors (Demco, Brodart, et al.) It is possible to affix the mylar sleeves to the boards without applying tape or adhesives to the actual book, so that the books can be slipped in and out of the mylar covered jackets without any damage to the boards, endpapers, etc. Such removal will be possible only with reasonable effort, yet leave no traces. (See note below at **)
Each volume of the OED2 contains more than a thousand pages of triple columned, closely printed text. Some readers will want to have a magnifier handy. The typography is remarkable, with perhaps a half dozen different type styles and sizes, which are used logically and consistently. Indeed, tasteful restraint is shown, as many of the type faces serve more than a single function. The use of fonts is exhaustively explained in the lengthy introduction found in vol. I,
The following statement from the introduction summarizes the use of non-standard characters: "Between them, the two parent texts [OED1 and Supplements] make use of approximately 660 characters, apart from the ninety or so available on the typical keyboard. Virtually all of these have been retained [in OED2]".
Each volume contains a page with the "Key To The Pronunciation", as well as several pages listing the hundreds of abbreviations used within the work. A 143 page bibliography is found at the back of volume XX.
Page layouts are a bit intimidating, as one would expect, but margins are ample with text staying well out of the gutter. As for typos, no doubt there will be a few, but over a decade I haven't noticed any. Sadly, this must be considered remarkable, in our era of slapdash publications and understaffed editorial offices. The OED2 undoubtedly represents the high watermark of contemporary editing.
These books are printed using modern, low-cost, water soluble, cold-setting ink, which requires a higher porosity paper stock in order for the ink to be quickly absorbed and dried. This, to me, is the most telling step down in production quality, compared to the venerable first edition and its supplements.
These books ideally should be shelved in a climate controlled room at 40-55% RH since the porous uncoated paper is more prone to warping when subjected to high humidity. The paper also tends to soil more easily, and it will wrinkle and curl when handled by sweaty hands. But the paper has sufficient body. Despite the large format, pages do not flop over on themselves, so page turning presents minimal risk of page damage.
I cannot find a statement touting acid-free or alkaline buffered paper, but after 12 years of use, I see little or no effect of aging. Paper stock thickness measures 3.2 mil. (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate is 2 mil.)
The print image is consistently sharp and dark, but I miss the true blacks and sharper text of the oil-based inks used formerly. But, all things considered, I would say the paper quality and image are about as good as one can expect with modern cost-effective book printing. For those of us who prefer print rather than electronic media, water soluble ink and high porosity paper should be an acceptable compromise, made on behalf of our precious environment. Still, I shudder to think how many trees were consumed for a print run of this work. It therefore behooves us all to consider the options of an on-line subscription or the DVD ROM edition (they're also searchable!) Not surprisingly, the editors have stated that the expanded OED 3rd edition might not be offered in a print edition, at all. The projected 30 volume print set of OED3 would seem to be moving beyond the physical and economical limits of most users.
Final note: our local public library acquired their print copy of OED2 before the big price drop, and the only difference I can see between their higher cost set and mine is that my copy does not have the attractive blue marbling on the outside edges of the "perfect-cut" block. My copy is without decoration on the block edges, which, aside from the aesthetics, means the edges may exhibit more noticeable soiling from handling. I suppose, to be fair to those who paid the much higher price for the earlier printing, some such refinement had to be reserved for them.
In summary, I would give the OED2 high marks for production quality, and feel that my set was fairly priced. This is definitely NOT "print-on-demand" quality. Could production quality have been better? Of course. E.g. by using dense polished paper stock and heat setting ink, but such a move would entail a significantly higher price tag.
I hope I have answered most of C.D. Jensen's concerns. If anyone has a more recent printing, please update us.
* Dominus illuminatio mea (Latin--Oxford University motto) = (literally) The Lord is my light, (or more liberally) The Lord is the source of my enlightenment.
** How to affix mylar sleeved book jackets without damage to books:
Cut a piece of repositionable transparent tape 2" wide x 5" long. (High-quality, clear, 2" wide packaging tape can give even better results, but can be very difficult to work with, particularly before the following techniques are mastered.) The length of the tape strip should be a bit shorter than the inside jacket flap.
Leaving the sleeved jacket on the book, carefully apply the cut strip of tape along the bottom edge of the mylar sleeve from the flap fold toward the spine, so that one inch of the tape width overhangs the bottom edge of the jacket. Now, with an Exacto knife and steel straightedge, cut a 3/16" (5mm) wide mylar strip out of sleeve scraps. Cut this mylar strip an inch or so longer than the strip of tape. Then fasten the thin mylar strip along the whole length of the tape strip, on the adhesive side, precisely where the tape is to wrap around the exposed edge of the board. The excess length of the mylar strip will make it easier to position.
With the mylar strip thus applied, the tape adhesive will only come in contact with mylar, and not the book itself. After the mylar strip is in place on the tape, carefully smooth down the tape overlap, around the edge, while pulling the tape taut, to prevent wrinkles and puckers, and fasten it to the inside flap of the mylar sleeve. Repeat the procedure on the remaining three board edges. Afterwards, use the Exacto knife to trim the excess length from the thin mylar strips. The sleeve should fit snug, yet slip back and forth effortlessly, as the book is opened and closed. Experiment on a discardable book till the proper techniques are mastered. Patience will reward.
Summary of Oxford English Dictionary: 20 vol. print set & CD ROM
The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium. It traces the usage of words through 2.4 million quotations from a wide range of international English language sources.The OED has a unique historical focus. Accompanying each definition is a chronologically arranged group of quotations that trace the usage of words, and show the contexts in which they can be used.
Other features distinguishing the entries in the Dictionary are authoritative definitions; detailed information on pronunciation using the International Phonetic Alphabet; listings of variant spellings used throughout each word's history; extensive treatment of etymology; and details of area of usage and of any regional characteristics.
The Oxford English Dictionary has long been considered the ultimate reference work in English lexicography. Compiled by the legendary editor James Murray and a staff of brilliant philologists and lexicographers (not to mention one homicidal maniac), the OED began as a a supplement to existing dictionaries, so that, as one lexicographer put it, "every word should be made to tell its own story." Enthusiastic readers sent Murray definitions and examples on identical slips of paper in response to a letter of appeal in 1879. By the time the last volume was published in 1928, the dictionary had swelled from 4 to 10 volumes containing over 400,000 entries. In the years since, the staff of the OED has continued to keep pace with our ever-evolving language, and today the dictionary weighs in at a whopping 20 volumes. The great joy of this dictionary lies in its extensive cross-references and word etymologies, which can run a full page or more. These features not only make the OED the most comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of the English language, but a delight to browse.
What writers like most about the Oxford English Dictionary
 | "I?m tempted to say that I love the OED because it contains every word in Middlemarch and To the Lighthouse, minus the unnecessary ones. I suspect, however, that that?s probably a familiar joke in dictionary circles."--Michael Cunningham, author of The Hours |
 | "The Oxford English Dictionary lets me follow the roots of words into the loamy depths of language. It lets me feel the abiding, generative life in it, the mysteries of its persistence and renewal."--Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Home |
 | "The OED is one of my favorite ways of avoiding writing, which under other circumstances can be tortuous. But not with the OED. To begin, I look up a word. Then I get interested in its derivation, which suggests another word, another derivation, another word--Wow!"--Jeanne Marie Laskas, author of The Exact Same Moon |
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