Collecting Dictionaries

External Since: Dec 27, 2005 Posts: 9

I recently posted messages to alt.usage.english on the subject of
dictionary interest and collecting. I posted there because my interest
is more in language than in collecting for colecting's sake. So far
there has been no meaningful followup. Perhaps this is a better place
for that. Below is quote from one of my messages:

I have long been interested in dictionaries, but have collected
intensively for only six years, primarily form thrift stores, garage,
library, charity sales, etc. I have rarely spent much for them until
recently since competition from bookdealing racketeers has artificially

inflated prices and scarcified many desirable books.

So, dispairing of ever finding certain items, i have spent far too much

this year ordering from online sellers. In some cases, buying
sight-unseen has proven unwise investment. For example, had i known
that Thomas Wright's 1857 "Dictionary of Obsolete and Provincial
English" was a slightly revised and largely stripped-down version of
James Halliwell's 1850 "Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words,"
which i already had, i might have held onto the preposterous $75.00 i
paid for a used facsimile.

Subtitle information led me to believe that Wright covered a later
period than Halliwell. I have found it difficult to impossible to find

certain information on relatively obscure dictionaries which could have

spared me such costly discovery. $75.00 (for 2 volumes) pushes my
limits (with the exception of the $150.00 i paid for a beautiful copy
of the 12 volume 1911 edition of the "Century," which is really only
$12.50 per large volume).

I suspect there are numerous collectors who post here with whom i could

exchange arcane knowledge. I have quite an extensive collection
(primarily English), yet i have a long way to go for what i want to
have at hand. Presently, my acquisition targets include a facsimile of

the complete Johnson dictionary, Joseph Wright's "English Dialect
Dictionary, the Mayhew/Skeat "Concise Dictionary of Middle English",
volumes of the D.A.R.E, Barnhart's Dictionary Companion, etc.

I will reply to interest as time allows.

ER Lyon

External Since: Apr 21, 2005 Posts: 35

on Tue, 27 Dec 2005 12:45:31 GMT, my-wings stated:
>
>
>"xerlome" <xerlome RemoveThis @yahoo.com> wrote in message
>news:1135675177.807168.191380@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>>
>> I have long been interested in dictionaries, but have collected
>> intensively for only six years, primarily form thrift stores, garage,
>> library, charity sales, etc. I have rarely spent much for them until
>> recently since competition from bookdealing racketeers has artificially
>>
>> inflated prices and scarcified many desirable books.
>>
>
>
>Welcome to rec.collecting.books. I don't collect dictionaries myself, but
>judging by the rest of your post, I think you've found a home!

Yes, welcome to rec.collecting.books.

I don't collect dictionaries per se, but I do have a few
medical dictionaries. Dunglison's, from the mid 1800s,
comes in several editions with beautiful leather bindings.
I haven't gotten to the point of deciding which edition is
preferable; I think I have two, now. Mostly I collect
other old medical texts if they have botanical content,
and a few other obscure things such as books from the first
publisher (1803-1835) in the next town East of me (my actual
town being too small for that sort of thing).

Language, though, that's a fascinating topic. Early
dictionaries could be really intriguing. For a more
modern resource, try onelook.com.

-Allison