Books by Oxford University Press
“OK, not for the budget-conscious. But this magnificent dictionary tells the history of every word it defines (including obsolete meanings), and cites classic written sources for those definitions. If you’re in a dispute and someone tells you ‘singular ‘they” is a modern, politically correct abomination, look it up. You’ll find citations going back to 1375 from one great author after another, and the point is yours. Figurative ‘literally’? Look it up. ‘Whose’ can’t be used with an inanimate object? This is a dictionary whose authority and evidence will prove otherwise.” Read more...
Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach
Lane Greene, Journalist
Interviews where books by Oxford University Press were recommended
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1
History in English Words
by Owen Barfield -
2
The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
by Mark Forsyth -
3
Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
by Oxford University Press -
4
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
by Simon Winchester -
5
The F-Word
by Jesse Sheidlower -
6
Slang To-day and Yesterday
by Eric Partridge
The Best Books on Etymology
The Best Books on Etymology
Are you an autodidactic maven of sesquipedalian verbosity? Do you venerate periphrasis, or simply revel in linguistic disquisition? If so, you might enjoy our selection of books on etymology, as recommended over the years by our expert interviewees.
Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach, recommended by Lane Greene
Most grammar books say ‘do this, and that’s that.’ But who says? How do they know? Real rules are grounded in the facts of actual standard usage. Here are five grammar books that show their work, telling you not only what to do but why, and how they know. Accept nothing less.
