31 August 2010
The demise of the print version of the Oxford English Dictionary has been greatly exaggerated, or at least the obituary is premature. Several news articles in recent days have run with the statement that the third edition of the OED will not be printed, remaining an online resource only. According to these sources, the size of the dictionary (the second edition consisted of twenty volumes) and the decline of the print dictionary market in favor of the online market necessitated this decision.
But actually no such decision has been made and will probably not be made for another decade. Here is the official statement from Oxford University Press, via Jesse Sheidlower’s personal blog.
If I had to speculate, I would predict that there will be a print edition, but aimed at presentation copies and for those who have money to burn and like the ego boost that impressive-looking books filling their shelves gives them. The print runs will be small, and perhaps printed on demand. Other than possibly “college” or “pocket” dictionaries for quick reference, I just don’t see a market for print dictionaries. I don’t believe that “print is dead” (print is and will remain a very useful technological form), but certain classes of printed material certainly are dying, and dictionaries and similar reference books are among them.
