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Rating: 
Summary: Indispensible guide for the new OED user
Review: I had the compact edition of the first edition of the OED for several years, but I rarely used it. The print was pretty small, but the main reason was that I apparently didn't understand the arrangement scheme and methods employed by the OED. I bought this guide recently, just to see if I was missing anything crucial. It cleared up my understanding in so many ways; I was persuaded to buy the full 20 volume set of the 2nd edition. I recommend this book to anyone who uses the OED or is thinking about using it, and wants to use it to its fullest capacity.
Rating:
Summary: Very Helpful
Review: This book is a very nice supplement to the 20 volume OED. It has 2 main parts:"Part One is a step-by-step guide to understanding the kinds of information found in, and the conventions of, typical OED entries, including pronunciation, word origins, grammatical function; the organization of historical changes of meaning; and the role of the many illustrative quotations." "Part Two is an A-Z Companion to the OED, covering its history, the individuals who have shaped it, its terminology and methods, and a wealth of fascinating facts and figures." There is also a 7 page chronology of the OED, a facts and figures section, and a bibliography.
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