Charlotte Brewer is a fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, and CUF lecturer in English at Oxford University. She has published extensively on topics related to the Oxford English Dictionary. She lives in Oxford, England.

"This is an enthralling account of the personalities and events that shaped the history of the OED. Charlotte Brewer illuminates the commercial realities of dictionary-making as well as the hopes, worries, and working practices of those who compiled and administered the project. This sympathetic yet judicious 'biography of a book' is a major contribution to lexical historiography, and a delight to read." - Professor David Crystal"Charlotte Brewer is a scholar of formidable learning, and she has produced the most searching study yet of the greatest dictionary ever." - Randolph Quirk, Past President of the British Academy"The English-speaking world has undergone a fundamental change in the 120 years from the publication of the first part of OED; Charlotte Brewer shows how such change is reflected in the Dictionary itself. She presents the endeavours of the editors, their triumphs, their errors, and their inconsistencies, much of it revealed here for the first time. This is a highly readable account." - E G Stanley, University of Oxford

Charlotte Brewer is a fellow of Hertford College, Oxford, and CUF lecturer in English at Oxford University. She has published extensively on topics related to the Oxford English Dictionary. She lives in Oxford, England.

"This is an enthralling account of the personalities and events that shaped the history of the OED. Charlotte Brewer illuminates the commercial realities of dictionary-making as well as the hopes, worries, and working practices of those who compiled and administered the project. This sympathetic yet judicious 'biography of a book' is a major contribution to lexical historiography, and a delight to read." - Professor David Crystal"Charlotte Brewer is a scholar of formidable learning, and she has produced the most searching study yet of the greatest dictionary ever." - Randolph Quirk, Past President of the British Academy"The English-speaking world has undergone a fundamental change in the 120 years from the publication of the first part of OED; Charlotte Brewer shows how such change is reflected in the Dictionary itself. She presents the endeavours of the editors, their triumphs, their errors, and their inconsistencies, much of it revealed here for the first time. This is a highly readable account." - E G Stanley, University of Oxford