COST OF A DICTIONARY

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 140, 14 June 1924, Page 16

COST OF A DICTIONARY

STUPENDOUS WORK OF COMPILA- , ' TION.

"When Johnson finished his famous die-' tioriary, after seven years of laborious work, Andrew Millar, the bookseller, exclaipied, to the. author's amusement, "Tliank God, I have done with him!" Johnson got £1575 for the work. That will give some impression of tho giganr tic task involved in the Oxford Dictionary", which is now nearing completion, for this great -undertaking has been going on for 45 years, and ia expected to cost no less than £1,250,000, says .the "Yorkshire Post." It will be the greatest work of its kind in existence, and the last word on tho'philology of - the English' language..' Yet, in" spite of the tune- occupied in compilation, it has been, a record in speed -for such a work, for a huge German dictionary and a Dutch _ dictionary; are still dragging on in their respective ' countries, although the first was begun in 1838 and the -latter in 1850. According to one of the editors, the Oxford Dictionary will contain 425,000, words,, the . life histories of ; which, as"-given in this work, will probably settle their origin - and evolution for all -time. Among its distinguished editors have been Sir James Murray, Dr. Henry Bradley, and Dr. William Craigi*,"