Lexicography and the OED: Pioneers in the Untrodden Forest

The Oxford English Dictionary occupies a special place in the history of English, cultural as well as linguistic. This collection sets out to explore the pioneering endeavors in both lexicography and lexicology which led to the making of its first edition. Making use of much unpublished archive material, the essays brings a wide variety of perspectives to bear upon the OED, and the particular problems posed by the attempt to break new ground in its formation.