Out of Print?

[Vladd]

This just seems wrong

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/aug/29/oed-third-edition-unlikely-print

[Chrissy]

That would be so sad. Could they not perhaps do a smaller print run rather than no print?

 

I love my dictionary shelves. I regularly use my dictionaries, despite all the access I have to the internet and such.

[Kylie]

That's so sad. I love my dictionary, and while I may not use it very often, it's a comfort to know it's there when I need it.

[chesilbeach]

The article is actually talking about the full OED. The second edition published in 1989 is printed in 20 volumes of books. They've been working on the third edition since then, and it is expected to be almost double the length of text, and that is only estimated as they are only about a quarter of the way through the revision so far. The second edition full 20 volume set cost £750 in the UK and nearly $1000 in the US, so you have to have both money and space to buy them, and the market is very small.

 

I don't think you have anything to worry about with the dictionaries that come in formats such as pocket, concise, desktop, shorter, etc. These will be around for a long time yet, although the use of online dictionaries as the use of computers and ereaders becomes more prevalent will reduce this market, I still think the smaller one or two volume editions will be standard in the printed book marketplace.

[Kell]

Such a shame as these things are great for libraries to have in their reference section, even if few people have the money or inclination to buy them for personal use. I hope they will continue to work on and publish print versions of them though...

[BookJumper]

As a scholar, linguist and translator, I am frankly horrified. While I may not have the space, or the money, that would allow me to personally splash on the full OED, it would be crippling for me if it weren't even available from the library should I desperately need to consult it. The very thought is enough to give me nightmares.

[Raven]

^ You'd just go on line and look it up there; you won't even have to leave the house!

 

Anyway, I think people are missing the wider point here - if they started the third edition 21 years ago, and are only 28% complete, we're probably all going to be in boxes before they've finished so probably won't care!

 

 

[BookJumper]

My spirit will care.

 

Besides, the web might be a faster medium than paper, but it certainly isn't the most productive tool for the consulting of a dictionary. How does one speculatively browse an online dictionary is what I'd like to know.