I registered this book today to help out with the "Race to 3 Million" challenge. :)

This audiobook was so boring that I couldn't even finish it. The subject sounds boring to begin with, but it was unabridged and only about $5.99 when I bought it. Now I know why! I got about halfway through the second disc and had to shut it off because they started talking less about history, and more about lists of words that were derived from other words. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

This is the second book I have read by Simon Winchester (the first being The Professor and the Madman) and I don't think I'll be reading anything else written by him ever again. His style is too boring and drab for me.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sending off to Antheras. :)

Thanks DreamSE22! I love Simon Winchester's writing - it's like reading a lecture on linguistics (I know, that makes me certifiable right?). I'm looking forward to listening to this.

I loved it! I took it with me to Stitches East in Baltimore and listened to it on my drive to Pennsylvania to visit my Grandparents and as I drove back and forth to the convention each day.

I found it fascinating (again this may make me certifiable) but then I love finding out the roots of words. I'm going to reserve this to pass on to morsecode to listen to...and may ask her for it back afterwards for my PC.

My book club will be reading The Professor and the Madman in a few months, but I'm looking forward to getting a little preview of Winchester in this book.

Another one of those books that I forgot to journal right after I read it. (sigh)

r and I both listened to this book and enjoyed it. I read The Professor and the Madman after listening to this book and thought that The Meaning of Everything was definitely a stronger book. In The Professor and the Madman, Winchester is trying to tell the story of Minor (the madman) as well as the story of Murray (the professor and longest-reigning editor of the OED) and the broader story of the OED itself. Because he is trying to accomplish so much in one relatively short volume, he doesn't really manage to tell any of the stories satisfactorily (in my opinion, of course).

One of the things I did like about the book (well, both books) is Winchester's use of what in my family we call "SAT words" (in reference to one of the standardized tests that we Americans need to take before entering university). I'm not sure if Winchester made an attempt to use more arcane words because he was writing a history of a dictionary or if he always writes like that, but it's definitely something I noticed and appreciated.

I'm reserving this book to send to msjoanna. I'll be mailing it to her next time I go to the post office.

I'm excited to have this. I start commuting to work by car at the end of July and I'll be saving this to listen to during the first few weeks of commuting. I really enjoyed The Professor and the Madman when I read it a few years ago. Thanks much, morsecode.

This was terrific! Thanks so much, morsie! I actually have now listened to this twice because I enjoyed it so much. What a great companion to The Professor and the Madman. I'm almost tempted to find another copy of Professor and reread that story. I loved hearing all the trivia about word origins and language and the author's voice is great.

This is going to azuki, who picked it from the audiobook VBB on Book Obsessed (mailed 8/29/07).

Arrived safely, thanks for sending it. I just happen to be reading The River at the Centre of the World by the same author and enjoying it tremendously, so I hope this is as good.

Thanks, Azuki! Will give this book a try.

I started to listen to this, but didn't get very far with it. It was interesting, but I kept thinking about all the other audiobooks I want to listen to and this one was pushed to the side.

I gave this back to Azuki at the BC meeting last night.

When I started listening to it I have to admit it was a little boring, I even thought, I may be out of my mind to think that a book about dictionary sounds interesting. But then as a kid I liked to read dictionary (as there was nothing else to read at home and I didn't know about libraries yet.) I am glad I presevered as the book got better, so much so that I would likely seek out The Madman and The Professor to learn more about what was mentioned briefly in this one.

Received today from azuki -- thanks

Sent to Ellen who requested it from PaperBackSwap