Being the Complete Vocabulary of all Dialect Words Still In Use, or Known To Have Been in Use During the Last Two Hundred Years
The English Dialect Dictionary Being the Complete Vocabulary of all Dialect Words Still In Use, or Known To Have Been in Use During the Last Two Hundred Years
Henry Frowde, 1898.
First edition, subscriber's issue on large hand made paper, limited to 150 copies and signed by the compiler. Seven folio volumes including an appendix, each bound by Zaehnsdorf in half red morocco with raised bands and gilt titles to the spine. Top edges gilt. A near fine set showing only slight wear to the bottom edges and trace of wear to the head of the spine of the supplementary volume.
One of the great modern dictionaries, it remains the definitive work on the study of dialects.
Joseph Wright grew from humble origins as the son of a Yorkshire weaver to become a noted philologist, taking a post as professor at Oxford. During this time he taught and was a significant early influence on J.R.R.Tolkien.
Wright was also much admired by Virginia Woolf, who wrote in her diary of his dictionary,
"The triumph of learning is that it leaves something done solidly for ever. Everybody knows now about dialect, owing to his [Wright's] dixery."
PROVENANCE: The Library of the W.H.Smith family, Viscounts of Hambleden (Hon W.F.D. Smith noted as being a subscriber to the special edition).
Stock ID: 31465
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