The Story of the Dictionary (and my discovery of it)

The English Dictionary is the second most purchased and most used book behind the Bible only.  Of course, there isn't just one dictionary or version of it, just like there are multiple versions of the Bible.  Nevertheless, it is a popular book.  But as one renown dictionary maker (also known as a lexicographer) said, it is meant to be browsed in, not read cover to cover. 

There are several parts of language, and one of them is the actual words that are used, the vocabulary or the lexicon of a language.  This is what a dictionary is meant to help with at its fundamental level: allow people to understand the lexicon of the language.  That is why the first dictionaries were what we would call translation dictionaries and have two different languages in them, usually comparing Latin to some other language.  Later the idea developed to define the vocabulary of one language, creating monolingual dictionaries.  Then the development of ordering a dictionary in alphabetical order was introduced by Englishman Robert Cawdery, which became such an intrinsic part of dictionaries that books that don't do anything similar to a dictionary (define the lexicon) have acquired the title because of the alphabetical listing of their entries.  Then, finally there was the idea of an American dictionary, because our version of English was different from the British, and that's how Merriam-Webster became a household name. 

But really, you don't want to hear the story of the dictionary.  You would much rather hear about my story in the library finding out about dictionaries.  I dislike the fact that we have to put our annotated bibliography in alphabetical order, because that doesn't fit the order of the story, so I have numbered them in chronological order if you want a continuous story of discovery. 



4.  Cowie, A.P., ed.  The Oxford History of English Lexicography.  Volume 1: General-Purpose Dictionaries.  Oxford University Press, 2009.
This book is exactly what is says, a history of dictionary-making from the first compilation of monks' margin notes to the present, and is a huge work of scholarship.  Each chapter has been contributed by experts in that particular lexicographical area, from Caribbean English to bilingual English and Russian dictionaries in the 17th century.  {While browsing the shelves right in front of the dictionaries, looking for any promising titles, and specifically for Hulbert's book, this one jumped out at me. It was definitely a good browse and find, if someone was actually interested in understanding the history of dictionaries and the whole field}

5.  Friend, Joseph H.  The Development of American Lexicography 1798-1864.  Mouton &Co., Printers, the Hague, 1967. 
This book is obviously based a little out of our time frame, but it is still an interesting, detail-oriented composition with an emphasis on the American development of the dictionary system.  American lexicography at this time was very influential on the rest of the world, and so plays an important role in the overall history of dictionaries.  {This book was also found on the shelves, with one of the few intelligible titles and I could understand the first couple of pages.  Several of the books produced by lexicographers, besides dictionaries, are even worse than linguists in using words no one but experts in the field know.  This was a happy exception.}

6.  Hulbert, James Root.  Dictionaries: British and American.  Tonbridge Printers LTD, 1968. 
This book is nice for its brief history at the beginning, but also for its detailed description of what goes in to the making of a "modern" (1968, remember?) dictionary.  This book is helpful to a semi-beginner in that it describes the process that lexicographers undergo to create that great resource that you use so frequently.  {Eric Partridge mentions Professor Hulbert in the Preface to his (included) book as an expert on the subject that he is not worthy to compare himself to, in trying to write a book on lexicography, and gives enough reference for me to search the shelf and find this book.  The funny thing is, that this book is dedicated to Eric Partridge for giving Prof. Hulbert the courage to write this book.  What a pair.}

1.  Kraske, Robert.  The Story of the Dictionary.  Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975. 
The best thing about this book?  It is a Juvenile book, from the kids section.  This makes it easily intelligible, for the most clueless novices, because I am clueless when it comes to the history of the dictionary.  It does start from the beginning of dictionaries up to the present at the time of publication, including some information on juvenile dictionaries and the fact that dictionaries struggle with defining the living and changing languages.  {This is the book I found first, that I discovered through searching the library catalog, and the beginning of my print trail.  This is why a few of my sources are older, though really there aren't many new sources in the field of lexicography.  In the selected bibliography of this book I found Partridge's book, titled The Gentle Art of Lexicography, and then found the "big people's" dictionary and lexicography section.}

3.  Mish, Frederick C., ed. in chief.  Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.  Tenth Edition.  Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1995. 
I guess this book is kind of self explanatory, except that there is more than meets the eye.  Yes, it defines words of the English language, and lists them in alphabetical order, but it also has Explanatory Chart and Notes at the beginning, as well as a section titled, "The English Language in the Dictionary", which basically talks about where this dictionary came from.  Its genealogy if you will, and the actual editing process and what the lexicographers had to decide to make this book.  Cool, right? I bet you didn't know your dictionary did that.  {As stated, I had to use this book to understand what I was reading in other books from the lack of my knowledge in the dictionary field. But it was also mentioned in Kraske's book, in the selected bibliography that dictionaries sometimes explain their existence in the beginning of them, so I went looking for that too.  It surprised me how informative my dictionary could be about its own creation.}

2.  Partridge, Eric.  The Gentle Art of Lexicography.  Tonbridge Printers LTD, 1963. 
This is not as much of a history of the field of lexicography as one man's experience with it.  I like how this book puts a personal perspective and appreciation for the subject in the narrative.  There is definitely some history and other important tidbits on the subject from a man who loves words and studying them.  {This guy definitely loved words.  I had to use a dictionary to understand at least 5 words on every page, of this book that is about dictionaries.  (Ironic? a little.)  Starting with the title.  Lexicography? Fancy word for dictionary-making and studying the vocabulary of a language.  I chose the most modern dictionary though.  And because of his references in his Preface, I found Hulbert's book.}

So that's the story, and a starting point for those interested.  Because of my physical experience in the Harold B. Lee Library here at BYU, this isn't the absolute best list of resources for the subject, but the best that i could come up with in this locale.  Happy Hunting!!