"The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took seventy years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brilliant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story - a story of two remarkable men whose strange twenty-year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking." "Professor James Murray, an astonishingly...

Presents a collection alphabetically arranged entries that provide definitions and explanations of over 20,000 phrases, words, sayings used in the English language. Includes quotations, cross-references, and biographies of real an fictional people.

Labeled illustrations of words and expressions in English and Spanish are accompanied by brief passages to read, questions, and suggestions for conversations in English.

Contains alphabetically arranged entries that provide definitions of English words, and includes in-text language tips, style and usage advice, and sections of biographical and geographical entries.

Overview: The Arab-speaking nations are becoming more and more important in American and world affairs, but there are few reliable language resources to help bridge the gap between languages and culture. The Oxford Essential Arabic Dictionary is a brand-new, compact Arabic-English and English-Arabic dictionary that offers up-to-date coverage of all the essential day-to-day vocabulary of both languages, with over 16,000 words, phrases, and translations....

From the Publisher: Fowler's Modern English Usage is the world-famous guide to English usage, loved and used by writers of all kinds. In keeping with its long tradition, Fowler's gives comprehensive and practical advice on grammar, syntax, style, and choice of words. It gives a clear and authoritative picture of the English we use, and elucidates many scores of usage questions such as the split infinitive and the intricacies of political correctness....

When a professor begins compiling the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, he receives thousands of entries from a patient in a mental asylum.