Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, ex libris Lord Reith
A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles
£605
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs
Auction: 21 September 2023 at 10:00 BST
Description
founded mainly on the Materials collected by the Philological Society. Edited by James A. H. Murray [and others]. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1888-1933. 21 volumes, 4to (32.8 x 25.5cm), original maroon half morocco, titles and crests of the University of Oxford gilt to spines, top edges gilt, printed presentation plates to John, Lord Reith in Latin to front pastedowns [PMM 371]
Footnote
Note: First edition, from the library of John Reith, Baron Reith (1889-1971), first general manager of the BBC, with presentation plates in Latin commemorating the 40th anniversary of the service, reading: 'Radiodiffusionem in populo Britannico serviendum institutam xl post annos grati respicientes Johannem Reith, rectorem primum, hujus operis ac bene meritum rector et gubernatores salutant, A.S. MDCCCCLXII'. Reith's influence on the institution he helped establish, and national life generally, is such that 'Reithian' values, and his stated mission to 'inform, educate, and entertain', continue to be invoked today in debates about the role of the national broadcaster. 'The N.E.D., as it was originally cited, or the O.E.D., as it is now known, is the greatest treasure-house of any language in the world, unrivalled for its comprehensiveness and ease of consultation as well as for its reliability and scholarship' (PMM).