A new English dictionary on historical principles; founded mainly on the materials collected by The Philological Society. Edited by James A. H. Murray ... with the assistance of many scholars and men

by Murray, James A. H., Henry Bradley, William Craige, Charles Talbot Onions, & [J. R. R. Tolkien]

$28,750 · Offered by Biblio

First edition

Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1933. First edition in the earliest state of the original 125 fascicles, plus the final Supplement, Bibliography, and Introduction, contained in 14 blue cloth clamshell boxes. Large 4to, wrappers (some loose, 2 back wrappers missing) and cloth-backed boards, many of the latter with dust jackets (jackets often with nicks, tears, splits and some with occasional loss); with many prefaces, prefatory notes, titles, half titles, and assorted ephemera, etc., most not included in the book edition; a complete set in the most desirable state. This copy belonged to Fitzedward Hall (1825-1901), the American Orientalist and philologist, and the author of several works on Sanskrit and Hindi, who was, "with another US citizen, Dr. William Chester Minor [the 'professor' in The Professor and the Madman], one of the most important (and most obsessive) collaborators the OED Project's director Sir James Murray (1837-1915) had, and is recognized as such in many of the prefaces to the Dictionary itself" (Wikipedia). The first fascicle, A-ANT, is inscribed to Hall by the editor A. H. Murray three days prior to its publication date of February 1, 1884. "To F. Hall, Esq. D.C.L. / With Compliments and very special Thanks of / James A. H. Murray / 29 Jany. 1884." The second fascicle, ANT-BATTEN, is also inscribed: "To Fitzedward Hall Esq. D.C.L. / with the deeply grateful regards of / James A. H. Murray / Oxford 12 Nov 1885." Says Murray in the introductory matter to A-A

• Publisher: At the Clarendon Press
• Year: 1933
• Edition: First Edition
• Binding: unknown

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