The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary - Hardcover

Gilliver, Peter; Marshall, Jeremy; Weiner, Edmund

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198610696 ISBN 13: 9780198610694

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2006

Synopsis

Tolkien's first job, on returning home from World War I, was as an assistant on the staff of the OED. He later said that he had "learned more in those two years than in any other equal part of his life." The Ring of Words reveals how his professional work on the Oxford English Dictionary influenced Tolkien's creative use of language in his fictional world.
Here three senior editors of the OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien's career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity as a word user and word creator. The centerpiece of the book is a wonderful collection of "word studies" which will delight the heart of Ring fans and word lovers everywhere. The editors look at the origin of such Tolkienesque words as "hobbit," "mithril, "Smeagol," "Ent," "halfling," and "worm" (meaning "dragon"). Readers discover that a word such as "mathom" (anything a hobbit had no immediate use for, but was unwilling to throw away) was actually common in Old English, but that "Mithril," on the other hand, is a complete invention (and the first "Elven" word to have an entry in the OED). And fans of Harry Potter will be surprised to find that "Dumbledore" (the name of Hogwart's headmaster) was a word used by Tolkien and many others (it is a dialect word meaning "bumblebee").
Few novelists have found so much of their creative inspiration in the shapes and histories of words. Presenting archival material not found anywhere else, The Ring of Words offers a fresh and unexplored angle on the literary achievements of one of the world's most famous and best-loved writers.

About this title

About the Author:

Peter Gilliver is an Associate Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and is also working on a history of the OED. Jeremy Marshall is an Associate Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and co-author of Questions of English. Edmund Weiner is Deputy Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary. He has written several books on English grammar and usage and teaches an annual course in the history of English.

Review:

"The connection between his time spent mired in the drudgery of lexicography, his deeply felt and lifelong passion for philology, and the consequent meticulous craftsmanship of his writing, is all impeccably demonstrated in this fascinating assessment of Tolkien's life as one of England's most distinguished wordwrights. Anyone enthralled by the story of the English language will be captivated by this account of an unforgettable man's half-forgotten first achievements."--Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman and The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

"Tolkien the scholar of language and Tolkien the author of fantasy fiction were inseparable: the authors explore this subject further than has been done before. But it is their extensive notes on the etymology and meaning of individual words used by Tolkien which readers will welcome most. The Ring of Words is an excellent addition to the shelf of best books about Tolkien, warmly recommended."--Wayne G. Hammond, author of J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Biography and co-author of The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0198610696
• ISBN 13: 9780198610694
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256