Book Recommendation - The Dictionary of Lost Words

The Dictionary of Lost Words - by Pip Williams

It’s been a while since the last book recommendation (just over seven months!), but here it is - Pip Williams’ wonderful The Dictionary of Lost Words.

The novel follows the inherently curious Esme, whose father is part of the team compiling the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, from childhood to adulthood in the late 1800s and early 1900s. While Esme’s father and his coworkers seek to include commonly used words, over the years Esme grows a collection of colloquial, vernacular words that did not make the final cut of the dictionary, inspired by her childhood spent amongst scraps of paper with possible contenders for entries.

What’s interesting about this book is the way it blurs the line between fiction and fact. Interwoven throughout the narrative are fascinating snippets of lexicography (the creation of dictionaries), an area of language study that is relatively unknown to the general population. But it’s not all academic jargon - Esme’s life story aside from dictionary work is intriguing and emotionally told, making for a book that speaks to both the brain and the heart - perfect for lovers of fact and fiction.