This is truly hugh and series. I’m gobsmacked. This is truly news. Thanks for posting it.
Now we truly enter a new era.
This is truly hugh and series. I’m gobsmacked. This is truly news. Thanks for posting it.
You're quite welcome, and I'm delighted that you've found it to be worthwhile ;-)
Now we truly enter a new era.
Well, in truth I believe that we will still be able to browse our bookstores for a little while longer although the trend is definitely moving toward the electronic medium.
The full, 20-volume OED will naturally be an early candidate to drop out of print availability because it's expensive to produce and has an extremely limited buying customer base....usually just libraries. Most private individuals don't buy it for themselves because of the cost and space requirements as well as the fact that it goes into FAR more etymological detail than what's needed in common parlance. The level of depth that it goes into regarding word histories and the numerous citations it provides for obsolete words is great to have as a record of the language and for specialist wordsmiths but is really not needed by most people in most common situations. For those interested in modern definitions and advice as to common usage scenarios, the full, 20-volume OED is cumbersome at best, and the CD and online subscription formats have been gaining popularity for years among those who need the full horsepower of the complete work. The search options provide quite a bit more convenience as well as enhanced and streamlined research opportunities over the paper version.