THE MEANING OF EVERYTHING…

Or, a little book about a great big book and some very, very, very  odd men…

What-ho!, word-watchers…

Just like you, I love words. (You’ve already come up with a stonkingly fine list of suggestions on our previous blog). I once, in fact, applied for the post of Bexley Executive Lexicologist (flexi), and I greatly admire people who are good with words…






So it was with particular pleasure, nay anhauncement, not to mention laudification that I recently perused this wonderful little book The Meaning of Everything; the story of the Oxford English Dictionary by that splendidly erudite author chappie Simon Winchester …






Not only did it contain a veritable cornucopia of bootylicious words (mawashi, naufragous, ulvose…) but it also told the story of the eccentric lexicographers who compiled it:






• James Murray, the brilliant and superbly bearded patriarch and founding father of he OED, who kept his hat on at all times…(That's him, on the book cover) 


• Fitzedward Hall, the adventurous American linguistic perfectionist who – after an argument over a single word - became a disillusioned hermit…


• Henry Bradley, the genius who became fluent in Russian in just a fortnight, and had the unusual ability of being able to read upside down…


• William C Minor, the polymath ‘lunatic murderer’ who did unspeakable things to himself, and others…


• Frederick James Furnivall, who loved words, vigorous rowing on the Thames and the company of `healthy strong ladies` (although not necessarily in that order)…


• The sumptuously named Hereward Thimbleby Price, born in Madagascar, conscripted into the German army, imprisoned by the Bolsheviks and feted in China…


• The aristocratic Henry Hucks Gibbs, whose family fortunes were founded on the Peruvian guano trade, and who so loved hunting and shooting that he shot off his own right hand...


• And Arthur Munby, who employed a chimney sweep to work without (ahem) the benefit of clothing…






The compilation of the OED was a herculean task – seventy years in the making, 15,490 pages; in every way, it was “big, fat, heavy, shelf-bendingly huge”. Yet here, in Winchester’s little book (260 pages, perusable in a couple of days) you can read all about it, and more…






Above all, the enjoyment in this book came from the characters who created
the OED: mildly eccentric, dedicated to their love of the printed word, and driven to create an unrivalled product, they remind me – in some ways – of certain colleagues in the library profession: (except, of course, that we no longer employ chimney sweeps au naturelle…)






Enjoy! I did.






TTFN

Lost for words? Never fear…In libraries, Words R Us...

Do you know, thanks to the library website, I’ve just been online and had one of the most enjoyable two minutes I can remember for a long, long, long time…(Purely by chance - whilst looking up a definition of a word, obviously!)…

Without further ado, dear readers, let me welcome you to the OED online…
So, here it is... you look on Bex-L for `Online Resources` then check out the OED (Oxford English Dictionary). Next, sign in by typing your library ticket number…You’ll find something called `Lost for words’? Choose one, and you’re away!…






“Bunny Hop”, “Spiry”, “Bumbershoot”, “Tufthunter” and “Pumpkinification”…


Just a few of the bootylicious words that may come tumbling out.






If you like words, (and I`m sure you do, dear reader), then this page is the bee’s knees, and it’s free to use with just your library card.






Well, that’s quite enough of this blogging lark, I`m off back to my random words search.
Oh look!, “Draggle”…


(Do YOU have a favourite word?...Do tell)






Adieu.

Mr Dickens’ own Bexley Blogbwawy – a vewy special guest appeawance.

It is with exceedingly great pleasure that we introduce a very, very special guest Blogger to the Blogbrary page this week: celebrating his 200th birthday, we’re delighted to welcome Mr Charles Dickens…

Changing Times:




Thank-you indeed; it is with the gweatest imaginable delight that I have been invited now (upon this, the bi-centennial celebwation of my – not unhumble – birth) to bwoadcast to you, beloved Bexley Bowwowers, a specially cwafted message (or “Blog” as those fwightfully bwight young folks clicking away at their scweens call it–Well! My! ‘Pon my Soul! How shares in the quill pen industwy must have plummeted of late!).


I must say, the litewawy world is a vewy diffewent place now, although much does – alas – wemain the same... (angwy fellows with aggwessive bull-nosed hounds, ewwant financiers and a gweat gulf betwixt wich and poor; and, of course, the dear old gwey and gwimy Thames which keeps wolling along your northern exwemities …)






Weading and Libwawies:


However, I am delighted to note that books and weading wemain popular even now – above all, how I envy you your wonderful public libwawies: a stupendously beneficial institution which (I have no hesitation in wemarking upon) would have wevolutionised my own impecunious childhood and subsequent scwibbling caweer…






Additionally, I find it exceedingly comforting to witness what a splendid collection of my own works you have here in Bexley Libwawies – Gweat Expectations, The Old Cuwiosity Shop, Our Mutual Fwiend, Litle Dowwit, even my unfinished Edwin Dwood…capital stuff!


In addition – and bless my whiskewy cheeks! – what a vewitable feast of biogwaphical matewials your libwawy holds upon my own life and times. What larks, eh? (My one word of caution, however, would be to take any scuwwilous publication cwiticising my welationships with the faiwer gender with an amply sized pinch of salt!)


Lastly, I note with no little sense of amazement that electwonic books have awwived via your libwawies, completely bypassing the old fashioned concept of steam-e-weaders. Ah!, the wonders of technology.






“Chat with Charlie” - Fwequently Asked Qwuestions?:


Well, my beloved fwiends, I gwow weawy now; I shall depart. However, mine hosts (those splendid Libwawians who manage this “web page”) have invited me to appear wegularly this year; hence it is my intention to wegale you often with a wange of wight woyal wollickingly weadble weviews thwoughout 2012.


Hence, if you have any qwuestions, cwiticisms or quewies about me, my life, times and work, then do not hesitate – simply contact me by utilising the `comments' facility so cunningly and carefully pwovided below.

I await your cowwespondence with no little sense of twepidation…

Cheewio!

(Mr C Dickens of London, Kent and occasional wambles thwough bits of Bexley).