The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) full access

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Yes it is, Harry. It's the older version of the Compact OED he is talking about. That has two volumes with 2 x reduced print (4 original OED pages per physical page).

Thank you for the correction, but I'm still extremely doubtful that this is a complete unabridged version of the OED. My university library has the OED - it's 20 volumes occupying something like 3m of shelf space. There's no way it could be printed in two volumes, no matter how small the print!

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thank you for the correction, but I'm still extremely doubtful that this is a complete unabridged version of the OED. My university library has the OED - it's 20 volumes occupying something like 3m of shelf space. There's no way it could be printed in two volumes, no matter how small the print!

The previous post says it is printed at 9 original pages per page.
20/9 ~= 2, so it doesn't seem unbelievable.
(Unreadable, possibly.)

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

The previous post says it is printed at 9 original pages per page.
20/9 ~= 2, so it doesn't seem unbelievable.
(Unreadable, possibly.)

Fair enough.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

The previous post says it is printed at 9 original pages per page.
20/9 ~= 2, so it doesn't seem unbelievable.
(Unreadable, possibly.)

That's the latest (single volume) set. That's the one I own, and yes, it's pretty much unreadable without the magnifying glass they deliver with it. The older version I owned before was 3 volumes and 4 pages to the page, so somewhat larger print, but the magnifying glass was still quite handy

Both are the full 20-volume OED, just micrographically reduced. Still, the 3-volume set is almost a foot high, to give you an idea of the size...

[issybird]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thank you for the correction, but I'm still extremely doubtful that this is a complete unabridged version of the OED. My university library has the OED - it's 20 volumes occupying something like 3m of shelf space. There's no way it could be printed in two volumes, no matter how small the print!

It's two very big volumes with very small print, as noted above. There was huge excitement when the edition came out, because it was both reasonably affordable and houseable.

[hollowpoint]

Was sorry to hear what HarryT mentioned, that the original 20-vol OED no longer is print. Did not know that, I loved using the printed version in the libraries while in university. A monument to the English language.

For some time I've been entirely using online versions: CD or online subscription provided thru work currently, or libraries in places we've lived. If you can find a way to access thru existing online channels available to you, it saves a lot on the subscription. I'm surprised how often people I meet are not aware of this being available through their own library. But then, many wouldn't use it anyway. As some of the comments have suggested, not everybody wants a massive history of English language words--other dictionaries usually suffice. At home I have the 2-vol Shorter Oxford which is excellent, plus the American Heritage. On my phone I use the paid version of the Free Dictionary by Farlex, which itself is based on American Heritage.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by hollowpoint

Was sorry to hear what HarryT mentioned, that the original 20-vol OED no longer is print. Did not know that, I loved using the printed version in the libraries while in university. A monument to the English language.

The Oxford University Press begs to differ.

The Compact Edition is also still available.

They are pushing their online subscription, of course, but they will still sell you the paper editions if you want them.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

The Oxford University Press begs to differ.

The Compact Edition is also still available.

They are pushing their online subscription, of course, but they will still sell you the paper editions if you want them.

Thanks - I (obviously mistakenly) thought that, like the "Encyclopaedia Britannica", they'd gone entirely digital .

[hollowpoint]

Glad to hear it's still in print. Someday I keep thinking I'll take the plunge and a one-time expense to buy my own copy, almost like a collector's item.

[rcentros]

These two books were heavy... and big. For those who have never seen one, I've attached three photos. One is of the 9 page per page version (which I never saw). At some point they published a third book (for updates) for the 2 volume version. (I never owned that one.)

[issybird]

Originally Posted by rcentros

These two books were heavy... and big. For those who have never seen one, I've attached three photos. One is of the 9 page per page version (which I never saw). At some point they published a third book (for updates) for the 2 volume version. (I never owned that one.)

Oh, thank you for posting the pic of the BOMC ad. I had been going to comment on how you'd visit someone and see the lineup of Durant books on their shelves and you'd know the provenance. I wonder how many of those were read and how much they were for show. I suspect in a lot of cases they were purchased with good intentions which dissipated rapidly.

I never saw the appeal of the Durant oeuvre myself. No one can be an expert in everything, nor can one bring the same level of interest to all topics. I can't imagine that the overall quality of the books was all that good, but at least they'd line up on your bookshelves.

I remember reading, a long time ago, a journal by a young woman who decided to skip college and educate herself by reading the Durant books. A notion that suggests that college might have been a good idea.

The Day I Became an Autodidact

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thank you for the correction, but I'm still extremely doubtful that this is a complete unabridged version of the OED. My university library has the OED - it's 20 volumes occupying something like 3m of shelf space. There's no way it could be printed in two volumes, no matter how small the print!

I do believe that the 20-volume OED could fit in two volumes--even in one volume.

Ever since I can remember, people have been trying to see how small that they could make a Bible (why, ). It appears that the most recent record-holder is an organization called the Technion Institute. Using "nano technology," they have produced a complete Bible--Old and New Testaments--that is only 0.5 mm square!

With nano technology, text is etched in nano size, on very small silicon chips. If I understand it correctly, it is the same technology that allows very small processors to be created for computers and cell phones.

Now, as large as a Bible is, it surely pales in comparison in size to any version or edition of the OED. However, the information above might give us some idea of how small of an OED conceivably could be printed.

Forget trying to read nano-sized font with a magnifying glass. Forget about using even a high-powered optical microscope. Etchings that we're talking about here can be read only with an electron microscope.

[HarryT]

Of what conceivable relevance to this thread is that utterly useless information?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Of what conceivable relevance to this thread is that utterly useless information?

Not that relevant but I found it rather fascinating. Much like IBM Research's A Boy and His Atom: The World's Smallest Movie and Moving Atoms: Making the World's Smallest Movie, I find seeing how small something can be made almost irresistible.

[ranchero]

I have the same 2-book set - received as a bonus for joining some book club years ago. It is photo-reduced and I have to use a magnifying glass to read!]

Why would anyone want the OED? The etymology of words for one, I remember at college being sent by a professor to look up "will" - 24 pages of definitions in the full OED set in the library!