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Compact Edition of the OED - questions



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 22nd 03, 04:31 AM
Rayner Lucas
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Default Compact Edition of the OED - questions

delurk

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. However, I thought I'd ask the advice of some
experienced bibliophiles before I made my purchase.

One of the second-hand copies I've found is described as "Book Club
Associates Edition 1993". Does anyone own this edition or know how it
differs from the standard one? I've heard that book club editions are
sometimes of lower quality, and I'd be grateful to hear of others'
experiences.

Does anyone know of any book clubs that might still be offering a good deal
on the Compact Edition? I'd really kick myself if I missed a bargain.

Finally, should I be waiting for the third edition to appear? I haven't
been able to find an estimated date for its publication on the OED website,
which I assume means that it's not going to happen in the next few years.

Thanks for any assistance you can offer.

Rayner


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  #3  
Old October 22nd 03, 01:42 PM
R. Totale
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On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 09:41:41 +0100, "michael adams"
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. However, I thought I'd ask the advice of some
experienced bibliophiles before I made my purchase.


I don't know if you're at all familiar with these Compact Editions.
Each page contains eight pages of the original, and so they can be
quite a pain to use. Pull the volume out of the slip case, get the
magnifier out of the drawer, then eventually locate the actual page
you're looking for. And then finally the actual word.


The Compact OED actually has 4 pages of each on the original. I used
to be able to read it unaided, but if I try that now I do a good Tommy
Dorsey imitation. The Compact OED was a book club premium in the US
for most of the 1960s and 1970s, and I'll bet most of the second hand
copies actually came through book clubs. The microprint technology
used to produce the books was not common, and I suspect most were
printed by Oxford whether or not they were sold through book clubs. At
any rate, there's no quality difference and the OP should be happy
with any copy he finds. There is also a third microprint volume
containing the four volumes of Supplements - I'm not sure whether or
not that was ever offered through book clubs, but it's nice to have.
  #4  
Old October 22nd 03, 03:11 PM
francis muir
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On 10/22/03 6:04 AM, in article ,
"michael adams" wrote:


"R. Totale" wrote in message
...

On Wed, 22 Oct 2003 09:41:41 +0100, "michael adams"
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. However, I thought I'd ask the advice of

some
experienced bibliophiles before I made my purchase.


I don't know if you're at all familiar with these Compact Editions.
Each page contains eight pages of the original, and so they can be
quite a pain to use. Pull the volume out of the slip case, get the
magnifier out of the drawer, then eventually locate the actual page
you're looking for. And then finally the actual word.




The Compact OED actually has 4 pages of each on the original.



I stand corrected.


There appear to be at least two different versions. Your own which
presumably is the two volume set with a 4 pages of the original per
page, and a single volume set with 9 pages per page as decribed below.
While my own totaly unrelated Compact DNB with supplements has two
volumes and 12 original pages per page

start quote:

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition
Edited by J. A. Simpson and E. S. C. Weiner

Price: £275.00 (Hardback)
0-19-861258-3
Publication date: 17 October 1991
2,402 pages, 355mm x 260mm

The Compact Edition of the OED reproduces micrographically,
in a single volume, the complete text of the highly acclaimed
Second Edition of The Oxford English Dictionary. In this edition,
nine pages of the original fit onto just one. This volume comes
in a slipcase with a magnifying glass and a new user's guide
which explains the conventions of the OED.

:end quote

http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-861258-3


And so this may be an issue the OP may need to bear in mind,
when deciding on a S\H copy


When all is said and done. and I doubt that this point
has yet arrived, for almost every use and for almost
every person the SOD, the 2-volume Shorter Oxford
Dictionary, makes the most sense. But I realize there
are fetishists around for whom nothing but the largest
will do. Gawd 'elp 'em is what I say. An alternative to
the CD - which may have problems running on a Mac - is
the online subscription.

  #5  
Old October 22nd 03, 03:55 PM
John Yamamoto-Wilson
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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.


Fair enough, but - just out of interest - why have you decided that? Compact
editions are quite fiddly to use and they don't include the 3 supplementary
volumes and other ancillary material found on the CD-ROM. I can see the
attraction of printed pages, but in my case I went for the two-volume
Shorter Oxford, which covers most everyday needs, with a stroll to the
faculty office or the library on the few occasions when I need more detailed
information.

If I were to buy the complete dictionary I'd go for the CD-ROM, which is
just $219 from Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/rw7o), considerably cheaper than
the price on the official OED website (http://oed.com/services/cd-rom/).
Space considerations argue against a private individual buying the complete
set plus supplements, and a yearly subscription to the online version would
cost more than the CD-ROM. And there's so much you can do with a
computerised system that just isn't possible in print (like wildcard
searches, for example). For a full account of the CD=ROM version's buttons,
bells and gizmos, see http://www.oup.co.uk/ep/prodsupp/ref/oed2v3/#Q10.

Still, if you are set on the Compact, the best price range seems to be on
Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/rw1q), with "Used from $109.95, New from $270.00,
Collectible from $585.00". If you find better, let us know!

Finally, should I be waiting for the third edition to appear? I haven't
been able to find an estimated date for its publication on the OED

website,
which I assume means that it's not going to happen in the next few years.


If you are interested in completeness that would seem to me to be yet
another reason for getting the CD-ROM, since it has all the latest
incremental additions. 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.

--
John
http://rarebooksinjapan.com

  #7  
Old October 22nd 03, 08:19 PM
Brian
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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

  #8  
Old October 22nd 03, 09:06 PM
Rayner Lucas
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In article ,
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.


Fair enough, but - just out of interest - why have you decided that? Compact
editions are quite fiddly to use and they don't include the 3 supplementary
volumes and other ancillary material found on the CD-ROM. I can see the
attraction of printed pages, but in my case I went for the two-volume
Shorter Oxford, which covers most everyday needs, with a stroll to the
faculty office or the library on the few occasions when I need more detailed
information.

If I were to buy the complete dictionary I'd go for the CD-ROM, which is
just $219 from Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/rw7o), considerably cheaper than
the price on the official OED website (http://oed.com/services/cd-rom/).
Space considerations argue against a private individual buying the complete
set plus supplements, and a yearly subscription to the online version would
cost more than the CD-ROM. And there's so much you can do with a
computerised system that just isn't possible in print (like wildcard
searches, for example). For a full account of the CD=ROM version's buttons,
bells and gizmos, see http://www.oup.co.uk/ep/prodsupp/ref/oed2v3/#Q10.


As you say, the full set of printed volumes is very large. If it weren't
for the space considerations, I'd be very tempted by the OUP's current
special offer of 750 pounds.

I ruled out the CD-ROM version after hearing horror stories of slow, bloated
software with bizarre bugs and Draconian copy protection. This thread gives
some examples of the problems I've heard about (long URL, may wrap):
http://groups.google.com/groups?thre...h5% 404ax.com

What's more, I run Linux on my main computer. The OED web pages only say
that the CD-ROM works on Windows and won't work on a Mac. I've read Usenet
articles that say the OED CD-ROM won't work under Linux, even using
a Windows emulator. This means I'd need to boot another machine just to
look up a word in the dictionary.

The OED Online will always have the most recent additions, but 195 pounds
_per year_ (not including tax!) is an exorbitant fee. Buying a twenty-volume
set plus the additions, all at full price, then using them for ten years
would still work out cheaper.

All the electronic versions have one further drawback: they lack the
visual and tactile pleasure available from a printed book. I do own
several books on CD-ROM, but I've never found them as enjoyable to read
as their print editions.

This leaves just two options: the Compact Edition and the Shorter OED.
The Shorter OED is a fine work, but since I can get a second-hand Compact
Edition for the same price as a new Shorter OED, I might as well go for
the Compact. I'll keep my Concise Oxford Dictionary as a general desk
reference.

Still, if you are set on the Compact, the best price range seems to be on
Amazon (http://tinyurl.com/rw1q), with "Used from $109.95, New from $270.00,
Collectible from $585.00". If you find better, let us know!


The best prices I've found have been on Amazon, too. In fact, I don't think
I've seen used second editions anywhere else (the ones on eBay and in local
second-hand bookshops have all been first editions).

Finally, should I be waiting for the third edition to appear? I haven't
been able to find an estimated date for its publication on the OED

website,
which I assume means that it's not going to happen in the next few years.


If you are interested in completeness that would seem to me to be yet
another reason for getting the CD-ROM, since it has all the latest
incremental additions. 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.


Your opinions have been very helpful. Thanks to the responses in this
thread, I have considered several options that would not otherwise have
occurred to me.

Thanks to all those who replied.

Rayner


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To reply by e-mail, please use: usenet (at) sariel.anarres.org
  #9  
Old October 22nd 03, 11:29 PM
Jonathan Sachs
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Brian wrote:

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.


I concur with your other reasons, but I have a different take on this
one.

For me, turning off the computer would be a lot like turning off the
telephone or the water supply. Yeah, I could... but why? I keep it on
all the time precisely so that I can do this type of thing.

At present I have a laptop on long-term loan, so noise and power
consumption are non-issues. If I didn't I'd get a machine with a
Sonata case and an LCD monitor, yielding about the same result.

I'm not suggesting that I'm right and you're wrong. But this is
another way to look at the computer.

My mail address is jsachs177 at earthlink dot net.
 




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