In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word bondmaid flutter to the floor unclaimed. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others - that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set when the women's suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men.
In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word bondmaid flutter to the floor unclaimed. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others - that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set when the women's suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men.
In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word bondmaid flutter to the floor unclaimed. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others - that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set when the women's suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men.
In 1901, the word bondmaid was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word bondmaid flutter to the floor unclaimed. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others - that words and meanings relating to women's experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words. Set when the women's suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men.
Last updated at 05/11/2026 23:14:32
Dictionary of lost words. Pip Williams. 2020.
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The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words
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originally posted on booktopia.com.au
A very thought provoking book. Enough factual evidence wrapped in a fictional story that kept me wanting to read to the end of the next page (kept me reading for ages sometimes)!This is a book that makes you think about so many things - the historical recording of English words and the minor role women were allowed to play in word preservation, and the difference attributed to meaning dependent upon gender!I am so glad this book made it in to my bookshelf. It is one I will reread as I think there is more to absorb! Thank you Pip. Loved it!
originally posted on booksamillion.com
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books & NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. #TheDictionaryofLostWords #NetGalleyAn amazing book - worth every star and more. Don't let the topic of the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary put you off, this is far from a dry or boring read - I hated to put it down, but also didn't want to read it too fast and have it come to an end. It is as story of a romance between a woman and words, as well as between this same woman and a man. Beginning in 1901 when Esme is a young girl, the novel describes her coming-of-age as she works in the "Scriptorium" assisting with the compilation of the OED, of which her father is one of the lexicographers. Due to her ... MoreThanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books & NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. #TheDictionaryofLostWords #NetGalleyAn amazing book - worth every star and more. Don't let the topic of the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary put you off, this is far from a dry or boring read - I hated to put it down, but also didn't want to read it too fast and have it come to an end. It is as story of a romance between a woman and words, as well as between this same woman and a man. Beginning in 1901 when Esme is a young girl, the novel describes her coming-of-age as she works in the "Scriptorium" assisting with the compilation of the OED, of which her father is one of the lexicographers. Due to her inquisitiveness, Esme discovers words and their meanings that go beyond what is being incorporated in the OED. These "extra" words help her make sense of the world and she incorporates them to create her own "Dictionary of Lost Words."Her word-building continues throughout her life, against the backdrop of the women's suffrage movement, World War I, and the morality of the time. I loved the way the author brought a personal perspective to these historical elements, through the viewpoints of memorable supporting characters who had close relationships with Esme.This novel was often melancholy in tone, due to Esme's experiences. But that made it a richer and more thoughtful read. The author's research, including attention to the lifestyle details of the time period, was exceptional. I enjoyed reading in the "Author's Note" at the conclusion of the novel which characters were based on real people, and how the author came to write this novel. Also featured after the story is a timeline of major historical events and a timeline of the development of the Oxford English Dictionary.
originally posted on booktopia.com.au
I read a review of this book and thought no one will read this except me. Particularly since it's about the making of the first Oxford dictionary. Oh, it it so much more! It is written beautifully with wonderful characters based on real people( but it is fiction). It is informative, funny, heartbreaking and delightful. The lead characters father is one of the men who researches words for the dictionary and decides which words are accepted and which are rejected. His young daughter adores her father and sits under the big table at which they work (mostly men). She picks up all the discarded words from under the table and sneaks them away to her suitcase, where she amasses a lot of words. As she grows older she discovers that the words that are discarded often are ... MoreI read a review of this book and thought no one will read this except me. Particularly since it's about the making of the first Oxford dictionary. Oh, it it so much more! It is written beautifully with wonderful characters based on real people( but it is fiction). It is informative, funny, heartbreaking and delightful. The lead characters father is one of the men who researches words for the dictionary and decides which words are accepted and which are rejected. His young daughter adores her father and sits under the big table at which they work (mostly men). She picks up all the discarded words from under the table and sneaks them away to her suitcase, where she amasses a lot of words. As she grows older she discovers that the words that are discarded often are slang or belong to lower class people or women. This influences her direction in life. She meets wonderful people along the way. This is truly brilliant. I'm not surprised that it became a best seller. I would expect it to receive awards. I thought about this a lot time after.
| General | |
| Format | Paperback |
Dictionary of lost words. Pip Williams. 2020.
Delivery $10
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams | Cheap Second Hand Used Book | Brotherhood Books
Delivery between 18–26 May $7.95
A very thought provoking book. Enough factual evidence wrapped in a fictional story that kept me wanting to read to the end of the next page (kept me reading for ages sometimes)!This is a book that makes you think about so many things - the historical recording of English words and the minor role women were allowed to play in word preservation, and the difference attributed to meaning dependent upon gender!I am so glad this book made it in to my bookshelf. It is one I will reread as I think there is more to absorb! Thank you Pip. Loved it!
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books & NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. #TheDictionaryofLostWords #NetGalleyAn amazing book - worth every star and more. Don't let the topic of the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary put you off, this is far from a dry or boring read - I hated to put it down, but also didn't want to read it too fast and have it come to an end. It is as story of a romance between a woman and words, as well as between this same woman and a man. Beginning in 1901 when Esme is a young girl, the novel describes her coming-of-age as she works in the "Scriptorium" assisting with the compilation of the OED, of which her father is one of the lexicographers. Due to her ... MoreThanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books & NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own. #TheDictionaryofLostWords #NetGalleyAn amazing book - worth every star and more. Don't let the topic of the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary put you off, this is far from a dry or boring read - I hated to put it down, but also didn't want to read it too fast and have it come to an end. It is as story of a romance between a woman and words, as well as between this same woman and a man. Beginning in 1901 when Esme is a young girl, the novel describes her coming-of-age as she works in the "Scriptorium" assisting with the compilation of the OED, of which her father is one of the lexicographers. Due to her inquisitiveness, Esme discovers words and their meanings that go beyond what is being incorporated in the OED. These "extra" words help her make sense of the world and she incorporates them to create her own "Dictionary of Lost Words."Her word-building continues throughout her life, against the backdrop of the women's suffrage movement, World War I, and the morality of the time. I loved the way the author brought a personal perspective to these historical elements, through the viewpoints of memorable supporting characters who had close relationships with Esme.This novel was often melancholy in tone, due to Esme's experiences. But that made it a richer and more thoughtful read. The author's research, including attention to the lifestyle details of the time period, was exceptional. I enjoyed reading in the "Author's Note" at the conclusion of the novel which characters were based on real people, and how the author came to write this novel. Also featured after the story is a timeline of major historical events and a timeline of the development of the Oxford English Dictionary.
I read a review of this book and thought no one will read this except me. Particularly since it's about the making of the first Oxford dictionary. Oh, it it so much more! It is written beautifully with wonderful characters based on real people( but it is fiction). It is informative, funny, heartbreaking and delightful. The lead characters father is one of the men who researches words for the dictionary and decides which words are accepted and which are rejected. His young daughter adores her father and sits under the big table at which they work (mostly men). She picks up all the discarded words from under the table and sneaks them away to her suitcase, where she amasses a lot of words. As she grows older she discovers that the words that are discarded often are ... MoreI read a review of this book and thought no one will read this except me. Particularly since it's about the making of the first Oxford dictionary. Oh, it it so much more! It is written beautifully with wonderful characters based on real people( but it is fiction). It is informative, funny, heartbreaking and delightful. The lead characters father is one of the men who researches words for the dictionary and decides which words are accepted and which are rejected. His young daughter adores her father and sits under the big table at which they work (mostly men). She picks up all the discarded words from under the table and sneaks them away to her suitcase, where she amasses a lot of words. As she grows older she discovers that the words that are discarded often are slang or belong to lower class people or women. This influences her direction in life. She meets wonderful people along the way. This is truly brilliant. I'm not surprised that it became a best seller. I would expect it to receive awards. I thought about this a lot time after.
First off, the cover is absolutely stunning! I bought this book based on the cover alone, not gonna lie 😂 Even though the accounts of this story are entirely fictional, I loved how it was based on true events. I love learning about the history of women who have shaped our world to what it is today. This book had some very beautiful and heartbreaking moments for not only the main character but all the other characters that occupied the background. Without spoiling the end, it was one of the most shocking endings I have ever read. It brought me to tears, not only of sadness but of pride for what the main character, as well as her daughter, achieved. I would highly recommend that every woman in the world should read this story. It deals with issues like sexism, ... MoreFirst off, the cover is absolutely stunning! I bought this book based on the cover alone, not gonna lie 😂 Even though the accounts of this story are entirely fictional, I loved how it was based on true events. I love learning about the history of women who have shaped our world to what it is today. This book had some very beautiful and heartbreaking moments for not only the main character but all the other characters that occupied the background. Without spoiling the end, it was one of the most shocking endings I have ever read. It brought me to tears, not only of sadness but of pride for what the main character, as well as her daughter, achieved. I would highly recommend that every woman in the world should read this story. It deals with issues like sexism, romance, sex, childbirth, adoption, the hardships of motherhood and being a wife of war, etc
Book review! ⭐️ The Dictionary of Lost WordsBy Pip Williams (2020)This books is brand new! And is a debut from an Australian author Pip Williams. Its such a fascinating story and has been acknowledged as the Dymocks book of the month for April.A quick summary - #TheDictionaryofLostWords is a compelling historical fiction novel based on true events from the time of 1886 to 1915. A group of lexicographers are collating and editing proofs in a "Scriptorium" for the first Oxford English Dictionary. Six year old Esme and her fascination with her fathers work, accidentally steals a word. Continuing over decades, Esme wonders about words and takes discarded words from the scriptorium stashing them in a hidden case. As Esme grows older into adulthood, we follow her life ... MoreBook review! ⭐️ The Dictionary of Lost WordsBy Pip Williams (2020)This books is brand new! And is a debut from an Australian author Pip Williams. Its such a fascinating story and has been acknowledged as the Dymocks book of the month for April.A quick summary - #TheDictionaryofLostWords is a compelling historical fiction novel based on true events from the time of 1886 to 1915. A group of lexicographers are collating and editing proofs in a "Scriptorium" for the first Oxford English Dictionary. Six year old Esme and her fascination with her fathers work, accidentally steals a word. Continuing over decades, Esme wonders about words and takes discarded words from the scriptorium stashing them in a hidden case. As Esme grows older into adulthood, we follow her life through school and womanhood as her life unravels in time with the publication of each volume of the dictionary. Esme soon recognises the absence of certain words, linking to potential prejudices of sexism, especially relevant during the Women's Suffragist Movement and the Great War. She decides to add to her case of lost words, specifically the words spoken by women that happened to be left out by men. What she produces is a heartwarming account of lost words and treasured memories from various women.Pip Williams does a wonderful job at explaining the mystery surrounding that one missing word from the Oxford English Dictionary. I really enjoyed reading about the lost word(s) and grew to think about the construct of all the words and dictionary. But when I hit about 100 pages in I felt unsure where the story was headed....but then with the interwoven historical events, Esme's encounters and growth started to make sense and her work collating and editing her own dictionary of lost words came together in a beautiful way. I had so many AWW moments. Pip's writing is easy to follow making this book a light read and engaging. I found myself researching the Oxford Dictionary after this!
I have to admit that I'm not a fan of books referring to Victorian era, I didn't watch Bridgerton style shows and after reading "A superior spectre" (by another author) I told myself to never read books about that era.Despite that, I thought I will give it a try and tried the first chapter, but when a girl got injured in first chapter, I thought that's not for me.Still, the book somehow kept calling me and I came back to it couple of months later to see how I like it and from that moment I couldn't put it down till I finished.Insight into characters is incredible. The language, description of emotions (even wording of initial chapters matches age of main character) creates this symbiotic relationship between reader and a character. The more she grows up, the ... MoreI have to admit that I'm not a fan of books referring to Victorian era, I didn't watch Bridgerton style shows and after reading "A superior spectre" (by another author) I told myself to never read books about that era.Despite that, I thought I will give it a try and tried the first chapter, but when a girl got injured in first chapter, I thought that's not for me.Still, the book somehow kept calling me and I came back to it couple of months later to see how I like it and from that moment I couldn't put it down till I finished.Insight into characters is incredible. The language, description of emotions (even wording of initial chapters matches age of main character) creates this symbiotic relationship between reader and a character. The more she grows up, the stronger the bond becomes; by the end of the story I was a bondmaid to her life.It's not unusual that in books characters, especially secondary ones come out flat and unrealistic. In this book I saw the opposite - every character had a depth and backstory, had human imperfections and felt real life. I was able to observe, sense, smell.The most surprising for me though was how much this book reverberated with emotions, I can't count the moments I was brought to tears of joy, thrill, heartbreak or fathomless nostalgia.It is a beautiful book which opened raw emotions in me, some of which I still don't know how to name despite reading this dictionary.
A sweet story of a girl, her dad who is putting a dictionary together. The girl sits under the table waiting under the table waiting for unwanted words to fall onn the floor. She stores them in a trunk under her friends bed. She goes to boarding school however while there suffers terrible abuse. She returns home, however she desires to help with her father's work. One of the Best page turner books I have read since Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Far Country by Neil Shute. This review is by an 'addict' of fine reading. Indulge you soul in a Great Book, The Dictionary of lost words by Pip Williams a Perfect example of how reading can sooth your soul and entertain too.
A beautifully rendered portrait of the place of women in Victorian England, the Oxford Dictionary and the remarkable dedication of the team that pulled it together. It's also a tender love story - without being Mills and Boonish - and speaks of the dreadful legacy of WW1. Oh, and the words. So many wonderful words and how they were deemed worthy (or not) of inclusion in the Dictionary. A remarkable journey that will have you questioning the nature of how we structure our reality. All because of the determination of one young woman to honour ALL the voices, all the words and by doing so, include the realities of those people who were so often ignored or scorned by Polite Society. There's so much to this novel to love. My only (small) gripe is that there was no ... MoreA beautifully rendered portrait of the place of women in Victorian England, the Oxford Dictionary and the remarkable dedication of the team that pulled it together. It's also a tender love story - without being Mills and Boonish - and speaks of the dreadful legacy of WW1. Oh, and the words. So many wonderful words and how they were deemed worthy (or not) of inclusion in the Dictionary. A remarkable journey that will have you questioning the nature of how we structure our reality. All because of the determination of one young woman to honour ALL the voices, all the words and by doing so, include the realities of those people who were so often ignored or scorned by Polite Society. There's so much to this novel to love. My only (small) gripe is that there was no mention of the Spanish Flu, which would have provided a (no doubt) eloquent connection with our current situation of living during the Covid pandemic - however I suspect that the novel was written before we had even dreamed of the Coronavirus, and it already covers so much ground that it's hardly worth mentioning. Highly recommended reading
The author researched the history of the Oxford English Dictionary well, however she did not research other earlier or contemporary dictionaries. Words she claimed were not recorded, were in print or were dialect terms. This made the premise of the book untenable.If you are not into lexicography, the first half of the book is really interesting but when the author has to deal with the woman's suffrage movement her lack of research shows. The book trails off and gives the appearance of an author who had lost interest or was out of her depth.The author did not try to speak in the voice of the time, this is perfectly acceptable, but the use of americanisms jared. Example of this is the word 'gotten'.This book is full of promise, unfortunately it does not live up to ... MoreThe author researched the history of the Oxford English Dictionary well, however she did not research other earlier or contemporary dictionaries. Words she claimed were not recorded, were in print or were dialect terms. This made the premise of the book untenable.If you are not into lexicography, the first half of the book is really interesting but when the author has to deal with the woman's suffrage movement her lack of research shows. The book trails off and gives the appearance of an author who had lost interest or was out of her depth.The author did not try to speak in the voice of the time, this is perfectly acceptable, but the use of americanisms jared. Example of this is the word 'gotten'.This book is full of promise, unfortunately it does not live up to the expectation.
"Some words stretched so far back in time that our modern understanding of them was nothing more than an echo of the original, a distortion. I used to think it was the other way around, that the misshapen words of the past were clumsy drafts of what they would become; that the words formed on our tongues, in our time were true and complete. But everything that comes after that first utterance is a corruption."The Dictionary of Lost Words is the first novel by English-born Australian author, Pip Williams. Ever since she was a little girl, sitting under the sorting table at her Da's feet, in the loftily-titled Scriptorium (the old iron shed lined with pigeonholes in the back garden of Sunnyside), Esme has loved words.Under the direction of the editor, Dr James ... More"Some words stretched so far back in time that our modern understanding of them was nothing more than an echo of the original, a distortion. I used to think it was the other way around, that the misshapen words of the past were clumsy drafts of what they would become; that the words formed on our tongues, in our time were true and complete. But everything that comes after that first utterance is a corruption."The Dictionary of Lost Words is the first novel by English-born Australian author, Pip Williams. Ever since she was a little girl, sitting under the sorting table at her Da's feet, in the loftily-titled Scriptorium (the old iron shed lined with pigeonholes in the back garden of Sunnyside), Esme has loved words.Under the direction of the editor, Dr James Murray, and with several other assistant lexicographers, her Da, Henry Nicoll was compiling a dictionary: the Oxford English Dictionary. The words, their meanings and their use in quotes came on slips of paper, to be sorted and debated (sometimes quite vociferously) and included or rejected."Whenever we came across a word I didn't know, he would read the quotation it came with and help me work out what it meant. If I asked the right questions, he would try to find the book the quotation came from and read me more. It was like a treasure hunt, and sometimes I struck gold."The slips might be discarded, the word rejected if the definition was incomplete, or a duplicate. Esme hated the idea that words would be lost. And sometimes slips were dropped. Esme began to save these words. They would go into her Dictionary of Lost Words.This unusual, inquisitive little girl wasn't going to fit the middle-class wife-and-mother mould. At school: "If all the children at St Barnabas were a single word, most would be examples of the main definition. But I'd be some rarely used sense, one that's spelled strangely. One that's no use to anyone." Esme was happiest when working in the Scriptorium.Eventually, "I had a desk
| General | |
| Format | Paperback |
