The Oxford English Dictionary




Not that we are advocating sitting down and reading the Oxford English Dictionary.  And somebody already beat you to it anyway.  Ammon Shea recorded his experiences in Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages.  This short and often funny nonfiction book is for word lovers like Shea and those interested in rare books, lexicography, etymology, and the joys of discovering a new word. 

Learning the history of the OED isn't dull and boring either, especially when it involves a convicted murderer locked away in an insane asylum.  Well known nonfiction author Simon Winchester wrote two books about the history of the dictionary, The Professor and the Madman and the Meaning of Everything.  Both books are compelling and insightful and are great suggestions for the curious, the fans of oddball history, and the secretive logophiles in your life.