The Oxford English Dictionary was the first Wikipedia

The World

A former editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, Sarah Ogilvie, made a startling discovery in the basement archives: six handwritten address books noting the names of more than 3,000 people who contributed words and phrases for the dictionary from its 19th-century beginnings. She tracked down the contributors’ stories for her new book, “The Dictionary People.” Ogilvie speaks with host Marco Werman about the surprisingly diverse backgrounds of some of the OED’s founding lexicographers.

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