Shorter Oxford English Dictionary

Leather-bound edition, at an unrivalled price

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary – now in its 6th edition – is the product of over 100 years of expertise from Oxford University Press. Through its long association with OUP, The Folio Society is delighted to be able to offer members a huge saving on this deluxe edition. For little more than the price of the standard trade version, you can own this sumptuous 2-volume set, bound in Oxford blue leather with gilded page edges and two ribbon markers per volume.

The most authoritative dictionary in existence

For sheer comprehensiveness and authority, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is unrivalled and has now become the standard dictionary for the English-speaking world. With over 600,000 definitions, it includes all words current in general English between 1700 and the present day, embracing historical and literary usage, technical terms, rare and obsolete words, slang and dialect. It also contains all words used in pre-18th-century literature by Shakespeare, Milton and Spenser, and in the Authorised Version of the Bible.

As well as providing full definitions, the Shorter Oxford is the guardian of the history of our language. The entire etymology of each word is included, tracing meaning and form from the word’s first appearance until the present day. What’s more, you’ll find quotations from over 8,000 authors, from Alexander Pope to Kazuo Ishiguro, illustrating the development of the language over the centuries.

Fully updated to reflect an ever-changing language

The 6th edition of the Shorter Oxford has been comprehensively updated with over 2,500 new entries, including 1,300 new illustrative quotations from authors such as A. C. Grayling, Barbara Trapido and Salman Rushdie. A new introductory essay by David Crystal, OBE, provides a fascinating overview of the history of English from its Anglo-Saxon roots to the present day. Covering the history of received pronunciation, the influx of foreign words into English and neologisms from Pinteresque to perspex, the essay is evidence of both the historical remit of the Shorter Oxford and its ability to absorb change.