**LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024** 'Unmissable' Stephen Fry 'A
delight' Katherine Rundell 'Illuminating ' Susie Dent 'Brilliant' Philippa Perry
'Enthralling' Jeanette Winterson What do three murderers Karl Marx's daughter and a
vegetarian vicar have in common? They all helped create the Oxford English Dictionary. The
Oxford English Dictionary has long been associated with elite institutions and Victorian men.
But the Dictionary didn't just belong to the experts it relied on contributions from members
of the public. By 1928 its 414 825 entries had been crowdsourced from a surprising and diverse
group of people from astronomers to murderers naturists pornographers suffragists and queer
couples. Lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie dives deep into previously untapped archives to tell a
people's history of the OED. Here she reveals for the first time the full story of the
making of one of the most famous books in the world - and celebrates the extraordinary efforts
of the Dictionary People. 'An astonishing book' Sunday Times 'Utterly fascinating
entertaining astonishing and as clever as a box of monkeys ... I completely love it' Joanna
Lumley 'A fascinating and delightful exploration of the Victorian world ... Wonderful'
Nicola Shulman TLS Podcast ** A Financial Times TLS and Daunt Books Book of the Year **
