The Oxford English Dictionary

• The 20 volume Oxford English Dictionary is an unrivalled guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words
• The Dictionary traces the evolution of over 600,000 words from across the English-speaking world through 2.4 million quotations
• Historical in focus, each of the OED 's entries contain the word's earliest known use, as well as later examples which help plot the word's subsequent development in English
• Its quotations are taken from a broad range of English language sources - from classic literature and specialist periodicals to film scripts and cookery books
• Elegantly designed for maximum legibility and printed to the highest standards on the finest quality paper

"The OED has been to me a teacher, a companion, a source of endless discovery. I could not have become a writer without it.-- Anthony Burgess"

"The greatest treasure of words all the raw material a writer needs for a lifetime of work.-- Annie Proulx"

"The Oxford English Dictionary is more than a national monument to lexicography. The vast storehouse of the words and phrases that constitute the vocabulary of the English-speaking people is the ultimate authority on the English language as well as a history of English speech and thought from its infancy to the present day.-- The Times"

"The gigantic total picture of the English language...an epic achievement.-- The Observer"

"The greatest dictionary ever compiled.-- Sunday Telegraph"

"The greatest dictionary in any language.-- The Telegraph"

"It is a remarkable work of scholarship, and must rank high among the wonders of the world of learning.-- The Times Educational Supplement"

"The greatest work in dictionary making ever undertaken.-- The New York Times"