When I was a child, I liked to read the dictionary. It was as fascinating as any book.
Even now, if I were to look up a word in the dictionary, hours later I would still be looking around for words, just to read and for no other reason except to learn something new.
Being able to look up words on my laptop is much easier than have to pick up and handle a dictionary.
One site lists WORDS added to the dictionary the year in which you were born. The other lists weird new words just added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
I have fond memories of dictionaries and using them. Books are like friends. Well, books are friends.
There are several dictionaries left in my books. They were not a part of the 800 I purged.
What is your relationship with dictionaries? Do you, like I, have fond memories of reading the dictionary? Even with the internet available widely, do you keep a dictionary on your bookshelves?
I have several dictionaries in my bookshelves. And one lives beside the chair in which I do most of my reading.
ReplyDeleteEC,
DeleteAha, a true dictionary love like me. Thanks.
I remember liking dictionaries and encyclopedia's as a kid. I still have the dictionary my step dad gave me for a birthday gift (I was probably 7). He put dollar bills on the "happy" and "birthday" pages, LOL
ReplyDeleteOne,
DeleteYes, I read encyclopedias, too. That was a nice idea to put money on those pages. I wish I had thought of that. Thanks for the story.
I like dictionaries - I have several but my favourite is a very weighty Oxford that I treated myself to a few years ago. It's no doubt out of date but it still gets used. In fact, I like any book that's word and language related - French/English, American/English, Medical - was essential for my work as a medical secretary back in the day - and even my mother's old Nurses dictionary. There's also several thesaurus, encyclopaedias, grammar, and even a biographical dictionary - I have them all. I'm in the process of purging my book collection - it's unwieldy - but those books remain as essential. Thanks for such an interesting topic.
ReplyDeleteUrspo,
DeleteYou are a friend after my own heart. When I purged 800 books, not one word or reference book left here. I like keeping old and out of date fact books. They are useful to see what a word meant in earlier times. I use them to understand old literature. My bible thesaurus is very useful even though people are shocked to see it on my shelves. I have my Latin, Spanish, and Greek textbooks. They are useful still.