Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary - 2 volume set

Yes, the entries in this thesaurus are organized numerically by word concept, and not alphabetically by word. It's not uncommon for a serious tool to require some proper effort and training, and complaining about this reference work being "inconveniently" organized is like complaining about how riding a motorcycle is more complicated than riding a bicycle. Yes, this thesaurus does require a bit of extra work on the user's end, and if this thesaurus had been organized alphabetically, it would be at least twice as long and probably only one-tenth as fascinating. Because holy cow, this thesaurus is freaking incredible. As a reference work, it's not really for learning synonyms, but rather to see how the English language has evolved around concepts over time. Finding novel and interesting words in the OED2 all by itself isn't as easy as it could be, but with this baby by its side, going on a lexical journey is trivial and fascinating. Looking up any single word or concept will unearth words that you didn't know existed, each with their individual nuances or historical differences that can be cross-referenced in the OED2. I can spend (and have spent) many enjoyable hours with this thing, starting with one word or concept and branching out from there. In this format, related concepts precede and succeed each other, so going from one category to the next is as simple as moving on to an adjacent entry. As this thesaurus was specifically derived from the OED 2nd Edition, I regard this as an essential companion to the OED2. This is a grand statement, but an OED2 without this thesaurus is only half as capable as it could be. This thesaurus is what really opens it up and enables the true, incredible scope of the OED2's breadth and depth as a reference. (Because let's admit it, the OED2 isn't really a "dictionary" (as much as this isn't really a "thesaurus"), at least in that looking-up-the-meaning-of-a-weird-word-you-just-found-in-a-magazine-article kind of way. It's more of a philologist's tool, providing a historical lexical tour of the English language. This thesaurus is what really brings that capability to life, by indexing the words orthogonally by concept instead of by alphabet.) If you need a thesaurus because you are looking for a novel adverb in order to avoid using the same word twice in the same sentence, then look elsewhere. There are many other fine thesauruses that are best-suited for that purpose, including those that are organized alphabetically, such as Rodale's "The Synonym Finder". And standing on its own, without an OED2 to complement it, this thesaurus will have limited value, simply because many of the words included within can't be found anywhere else. But if you own an OED2, and if you think it's pretty keen, then your next imperative should be to save up the scratch to get a copy of this thesaurus forthwith. It has a steep price tag, but for even casual scholars of the English language, its value will be recognized immediately.

For a set of books which took 40 plus years to gather, cross-match, assemble, and proofread until it all jelled, you would think, when it finally went to the presses, you would be in receipt of something staggering- and Grand. Well, they Didn't Disappoint. You could spend 20 years, day after day, to the exclusion of Everything else- and still be in as much awe in year 20 as you were in Year One. These books are nothing short of INCREDIBLE. If you want to find out how our languages developed- Read This. If you want to see the progression of a word, it's origins, developed spellings, when it was first used-Read This! If you want to see how meanings changed in a word-across Centuries-- or the spellings and evolution of ideas which Created the word so a Society, Country, or the World proper- could Communicate with more certainty-- this book set will open your eyes and delight and intrigue you. At no time in my life have I Ever seen a look of anticipatory excitement in a 32-year-old, as if he was 10 and going to the Fair, than I have seen in my Son as he immerses himself in re-discovering language in a way he would have Never considered when he was in school. Like a well prepared and served dinner at a fine Restaurant, the Grammatical Delights offered between the covers of these two books--- of this set of works--- will be remembered far, far longer than it's cost.

I was about to send this back because I had the same reservations expressed in other reviews. The relatively small print! The bizarre organization! I had a very negative initial reaction. I put the two heavy and unwieldy volumes back in their box, wrapped them up and had them ready to send back to Amazon. Then I decided not to be too hasty and to give the volumes a second look. On the second look -- both volumes open side by side -- I fell in love. The Oxford Historical Thesaurus is an inexhaustible intellectual gift to all English speakers. The lucidity of the categories gives you a new way to approach your language and a new way to approach the concepts in your own mind. Being able to watch words evolve from Old English to our modern time allows you to see the arrival and development of cherished concepts -- the slow blooming of a branch as bud after bud opens off the central stalk. In the end even the typeface is pretty easily readable, (despite its relatively small font size). These books are an enduring invitation to jubilation. Users of English owe an immense debt of gratitude to the researchers and compilers at the University of Glasgow and the University of London and all the teams of people who helped them over the long years of their labor.What they have built strikes me as far bigger even than their labors - a truly inexhaustible gift to English speakers.

First, Amazon has the wrong dimensions. Each book is about 11.5" by 9" with the entire cased set equaling 11.75" by 9" by 5.25". For those of us who own the Deluxe Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, the height is a perfect match with the depth being just barely .25" shorter. Essentially, they match. The slipcase is not the usual shiny blue used on the Compact OED or in the Deluxe Shorter. It is made of the same material as the cloth hardcover book binding. This set is heavy and, as usual, Amazon uses virtually no packing materials so be prepared for damage in shipping as the slipcase will dent. The above description provided by Amazon pretty much describes the text, although the format is very unusual so be prepared to spend some time reading the "how to" section. Otherwise it will make little sense. This book set is essentially worth it only for a reader who truly enjoys the history of English.

I'm returning it. The thesaurus is written in code of its own so complicated as to be virtually unintelligible. Other thesauri are readable; this one would take considerable trouble to master and it's certainly not something you can browse casually for pleasure, as you can the O.E.D. The information it contains may be awe-inspiring, but I don't want to have to go to cryptography school every time I want to look up a reference. I don't think product descriptions and reviews have addressed this problem sufficiently. The idea of a vast historical thesaurus sounds wonderful, but the numeric gobbledygook that comprises this one is a deal-breaker. If I'd seen it in a store or library first, I'd never have bought it. I suggest that others who are fascinated by the scope and depth of the project try to see the book in person and check out its hideous organizational system before they actually buy.

The thesauruses arrived on the first day of the expected delivery window. They were in perfect condition, wrapped and sealed. I could not be happier. Beautiful hardback books with a stamped logo on the cover.

This work highly recommends itself; it is both wonderfully conceived and masterfully executed, as one will perceive immediately upon opening its covers. The English speaking world owes much gratitude to the editors: Michael Samuels, Christian Kay, Jane Roberts, and Irené Wotherspoon and the folks at Oxford University Press.

The text is available on line but the experience of using the tomes is something else. Quite complicated using their long index numbers but the result is a wonderful exploration of the English language over time. Not for everyone but it is one of my prized possessions. Look around the price varies quite a bit.

If you're interested in knowing that a 'honeymoon' was once a 'honeymonth' you will be delighted with this. It is expensive, but good value. The words are not defined, but the date of first usage is given, then subsequent occurrences, with subtle shifts in meaning. It's fascinating to then research what was going on at the time. Lots of changes after the beheading of Charles 1, for example. I spent a full afternoon watching the ways the words for family members evolved. Oddly, there still isn't a word for 'my ex-wife's new husband's children from his first marriage'. Historically, they would be 'cousins'. You can know stuff like that if you own this. It's also attractive to look at.

Such a product cannot be reviewed. If you have the OED then it could be of interest. It exists to fill the needs of those who require a Thesaurus of the OED. If you don't have the OED look elsewhere. There is no other product on a par - but the buyer must be on a par too.

Great - have used it a couple of times. It is complicated to use but does provide some alternative ideas, although I found it strangely restricted compared with other thesauri's I use . For cross-words etc. I would think this is not the book to buy.

This was the best present I have ever bought for my husband and was worth every penny! It will prove to be invaluable to him in his work as an English teacher, both in his teaching and in his own research.