From A to Z: The Meaning of Everything

Shashi Tharoor and Simon Winchester in conversation with Supriya Nair.

The making of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), under the editorship of James Murray and others, was a monumental 50-year task requiring thousands of volunteers. In his book, The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary, British-American author and journalist Simon Winchester, tells the story of the OED and its early editors. Winchester’s popular book, The Surgeon of Crowthorne, also tells the odd story of the murderer who contributed extensively from his prison cell. Renowned politician and author Shashi Tharoor’s latest book Tharoorosaurus covers the etymologies and eccentricities of the words in the English language. In conversation with Supriya Nair, they discuss the English vocabulary and this constantly evolving tome of lexicons.

This episode is the audio version of a live online session from #JLFToronto2020.