Unit Four: Printed Knowledge and the History of Dictionaries.

In thinking of what topic to use for my bibliography I thought of the different printed knowledge resources that I use. I found that not a day goes by in which I don't use a dictionary. Either to check my spelling or to make sure I'm using my words right.
While doing research I stumbled upon this quote which I thought was a pretty accurate intro into my topic.

"No reference book, perhaps no book of any kind except the Bible, is so widely used as "the dictionary."'

Pretty cool stuff.
So the research part was surprisingly fun. I was a little nervous to use printed resources as it was something I had never done before. It was interesting to see the little things you miss when actually going and doing the research physically. Actually turning the pages or cross referencing certain books and having to search shelves and follow library jargon. The library doesn't seem as daunting anymore and yet it's amazing to consider all the knowledge it holds on its shelves.
A fun thing to be able to do was read the book, search it's footnotes, and then find that referenced book. It made it easier to see how interrelated certain aspects of knowledge are and to be able to actually use the same books that authors used in their research. It also helped to create a sort of timeline as different authors from different times built upon eachother.
Another things to observe that I remembered from class discussions was the affect that highlighting or written notes had on the book. I found that I was drawn to the important parts, which was a help, while at the same time, I felt as if I might be overlooking things as my eyes would automatically be drawn to already highlighted portions. It definitely has its pros and cons.
 Anyway, here goes my bibliography on the history of dictionaries.

Considine, John. Dictionaries in Early Modern Europe: Lexicography and the Making of Heritage. 
2008. Within his book, Considine focuses majorly on the idea that writing a dictionary was a heros journey and the writer was a hero, as seen in Early Europe. He discusses the relationship of dictionaries to the retrieval and revival of cultural heritage and how it enhances and preserves the heritage of the culture in each dictionary. The authors were romanticized. He also includes a history of the origin of the dictionary and the ways it has enhanced continually. I found this book through google books.

Hulbert, James Root. Dictionaries British and American. New York. 1955. Hulbert writes about the widespread affect that the dictionary hae. had on Britain and America and its . He also discusses the logistics of the dictionary which include the alphabetical order of the words, the different forms of spelling accepted, pronunciation or meaning of words, etc. He also mentions the way in which different dictionary authors and editors build upon their predecessors and each others work. I found this book in the library through an online search.

Johnson, Samuel. The Plan of a Dictionary.  1747. Within this book, Johnson includes his plan to construct a dictionary. He discusses different obstacles throughout this process and his reasoning behind certain ideas some which included keeping words in their traditional sense instead of popular sense and preserving purity, among others. Johnson was also quick to note that while his work with the dictionary wasn't as well or great as others, he still maintained praise in his endeavours. I was able to find this book from the footnotes of another book found in the library.

Lodwig, Richard R. The Dictionary and the Language. New York. 1967. Lodwig gives a history of the life and expansion of the dictionary, especially through certain dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary, or Websters American Dictionary. He mentions the first English Latin Dictionary which was created in 1449. The original title for dictionary was a Latin name promptorium parvulorium which means "a storehouse for young boys." Within his book, Lodwig explains the different mannerisms and personalities which came through each dictionary from the authors or various editors. I found this book through cross-referencing different books from books found in the library.

Wells, Ronald A. Dictionaries and the Authoritarian Traditions: A Study in English Usage and Lexicography. The Hague: Mouton, 1973. Wells talks about the origins of the dictionary which dated back to the Anglo-Saxons priests and scholars composing glossaries of difficult words to help readers unfamiliar with Latin. This led into his discussion on the emergence of the dictionary as a need to stabilize the language. He also discusses different individuals research on dicitionaries and their views on it. Including various popular dictionaries and their authors. I found this book in the library through an online search.