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A Memoir of the Life of a Dictionary Editor and the Histories of F**k and Other Curious Words John Simpson. The Word Detective: Searching for the Meaning of it All at the Oxford English Dictionary: A Memoir. New York: Basic Books, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-465-06069-6. $27.99. 6-1/8X9-1/4". 368pp.
The author of this memoir is John Simpson, the decades-long editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. But is not so much a narrative of what John has done, or where he went, or who he married, but rather of how he has shaped the English language in his years as editor. He explains the thought-process and research steps he has taken before making decisions to add new words like "online," or delete old ones that are out of use. He is now retired and an emeritus fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford.
The narrative begins with how John started working at OED, and what he studied in school. Across the text there are sections in a distinct font and in a separated block that explain the research and history of isolated words John researched, such...