Book
The dictionary of lost words : a novel / Pip Williams.
"Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip, and when she learns that the word means "slave girl," she begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men. As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women's and common folks' experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages."-- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593160190
- ISBN: 0593160193
- Physical Description: xiv, 376 pages : map ; 25 cm
- Edition: First U.S. edition.
- Publisher: New York, New York : Ballantine Books, [2021]
- Copyright: ©2020
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "Originally published in Australia by Affirm Press in 2020"--Title page verso. |
Search for related items by subject
| Genre: | Historical fiction. |
Available copies
- 12 of 18 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 0 of 1 copy available at Nakusp Public Library.
Holds
- 1 current hold with 18 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nakusp Public Library | FIC WIL (Text) | 35160000787029 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | In transit | - |
- Baker & Taylor
"The Dictionary of Lost Words is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters with the exception of some well-known historical figures, are products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Before the lost word, there was another. It arrived at the Scriptorium in a second-hand envelope, the old address crossed out and Dr Murray, Sunnyside, Oxford, written in its place. It was Da's job to open the post and mine to sit on his lap, like a queen on her throne, andhelp him ease each word out of its folded cradle. He'd tell me what pile to put it on and sometimes he'd pause, cover my hand with his, and guide my finger up and down and around the letters, sounding them into my ear. He'd say the word, and I would echoit, then he'd tell me what it meant"-- - Baker & Taylor
Deciding to create her own dictionary â the Dictionary of Lost Words â Esme, who has collected âobjectionableâ words a team of male scholars omit from the first Oxford English Dictionary, leaves her sheltered world behind to meet the people whose words will fill those pages. Maps. - Random House, Inc.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ⢠REESEâS BOOK CLUB PICK ⢠âDelightful . . . [a] captivating and slyly subversive fictional paean to the real women whose work on the Oxford English Dictionary went largely unheralded.ââThe New York Times Book Review
âA marvelous fiction about the power of language to elevate or repress.ââGeraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of People of the Book
Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, an Oxford garden shed in which her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esmeâs place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip and, learning that the word means âslave girl,â begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.
As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to womenâs and common folksâ experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages.
Set during the height of the womenâs suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.
WINNER OF THE AUSTRALIAN BOOK INDUSTRY AWARD
