The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary

Product Description

Tolkien’s first job, on returning home from World War I, was as an assistant on the staff of the
Oxford English Dictionary. He later said that he had “learned more in those two years than in any other equal part of his life.”
The Ring of Words reveals how his professional work on the OED
influenced Tolkien’s creative use of language in his fictional world.
Here three senior editors of the
OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien’s career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity as a word user and word creator. The centerpiece of the book is a wonderful collection of “word studies” which will delight the heart of Ring fans and word
lovers everywhere. The editors look at the origin of such Tolkienesque words as “hobbit,” “mithril, “Smeagol,” “Ent,” “halfling,” and “worm” (meaning “dragon”). Readers discover that a word such as “mathom” (anything a hobbit had no immediate use for, but was unwilling to throw away) was actually
common in Old English, but that “mithril,” on the other hand, is a complete invention (and the first “Elven” word to have an entry in the
OED). And fans of
Harry Potter will be surprised to find that “Dumbledore” (the name of Hogwart’s headmaster) was a word used by Tolkien and many others (it is a
dialect word meaning “bumblebee”).
Few novelists have found so much of their creative inspiration in the shapes and histories of words. Presenting archival material not found anywhere else,
The Ring of Words offers a fresh and unexplored angle on the literary achievements of one of the world’s most famous and best-loved
writers.

Review

“Here, three senior editors of the OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien’s career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity as a word user and word creator. The centerpiece of the book is a collection of ‘word studies’ which will delight the heart of
Lord of the Rings fans and word
lovers everywhere.”–
Bookgasm

“Precious indeed is
The Ring of Words. It brightens and deepens our understanding of Tolkien, his tales, and the words he forged them with.”–Mike Foster,
Mythlore

About the Author

Peter Gilliver is an Associate Editor of the
Oxford English Dictionary, having joined the project in 1987. He is also working on a history of the
OED for Oxford University Press.
Jeremy Marshall is an Associate Editor of the
Oxford English Dictionary; he joined the department in 1988 as a science
editor for the
New Shorter OED. He was co-author of
Questions of English.
Edmund Weiner is Deputy Chief Editor of the
Oxford English Dictionary; he joined in 1977 to work on the
Supplement to the
OED. He has written several books on English grammar and usage, and teaches an annual course in the
history of English.