John Yamamoto-Wilson wrote:

Rayner Lucas wrote:

I would like to own the Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary,
since I sadly have neither the budget nor the shelf space for the full
twenty-volume edition. I've already decided to get a good second-hand copy
of the second edition.

....
I don't want to argue against printed books - I love
'em! - but when you factor in all the advantages and disadvantages I'd have
thought that in this case CD-ROM was the more practical option, with - for
my money - the Shorter Oxford for handy reference.

I've got the older compact OED. I've thought about getting the
new edition on CD, but I realized that the joy of the paper copy
is the other stuff you stumble on and learn while looking.
You don't get that with a computer version that just gives the
definition of only the word you ask for.

Another factor is when you need it - When I need to
look something up, my computer is usually off. I hate
to boot up the old confuser just to look up a word.

For me, it is the journey, not just the answer.

[Read "The Missing Piece" by Shel Silverstein]

If I was using the OED for editing, writing, or research,
then the CD would probably be better.

Brian L