A-ANT inscribed by Murray to Fitzedward Hall a week prior to publication – the complete set of 125 original fascicles
A new English dictionary on historical principles; founded mainly on the materials collected by The Philological Society. Edited by James A. H. Murray ... with the assistance of many scholars and men of science
Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1884-1933. First edition in the earliest state of the original 125 fascicles, plus the final Supplement, Bibliography, and Introduction, contained in 14 blue cloth clamshell boxes. Large 4to, wrappers (some loose, 2 back wrappers missing) and cloth-backed boards, many of the latter with dust jackets (jackets often with nicks, tears, splits and some with occasional loss); with many prefaces, prefatory notes, titles, half titles, and assorted ephemera, etc., most not included in the book edition; a complete set in the most desirable state. This copy belonged to Fitzedward Hall (1825-1901), the American Orientalist and philologist, and the author of several works on Sanskrit and Hindi, who was, "with another US citizen, Dr. William Chester Minor [the ‘professor’ in The Professor and the Madman], one of the most important (and most obsessive) collaborators the OED Project's director Sir James Murray (1837–1915) had, and is recognized as such in many of the prefaces to the Dictionary itself" (Wikipedia). The first fascicle, A-ANT, is inscribed to Hall by the editor A. H. Murray three days prior to its publication date of February 1, 1884. "To F. Hall, Esq. D.C.L. / With Compliments and very special Thanks of / James A. H. Murray / 29 Jany. 1884." The second fascicle, ANT-BATTEN, is also inscribed: "To Fitzedward Hall Esq. D.C.L. / with the deeply grateful regards of / James A. H. Murray / Oxford 12 Nov 1885." Says Murray in the introductory matter to A-ANT: "Henry Hucks Gibbs, Esq., M.A., and Fitzedward Hall, Esq., D.C.L. (who have given general help in every direction) …Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Hall have read all but the earliest proof-sheets, supplied deficiencies, and given valuable literary criticism…" Later, Murray noted: "Time would fail to tell of the splendid assistance rendered to the Dictionary by Dr. Fitzedward Hall, who devotes nearly his whole day to reading the proofs...and to supplementing, correcting, and increasing the quotations taken from his own exhaustless stores. When the Dictionary is finished, no man will have contributed to its illustrative wealth so much as Fitzedward Hall. Those who know his books know the enormous wealth of quotation which he brings to bear upon every point of English literary usage; but my admiration is if possible increased when I see how he can cap and put the cope-stone on the collections of our 1500 readers." After his death in February 1901 (when the dictionary was up to the letter 'J'), "Murray corresponded with Hall's son to try to find and reference the supplies of quotations his father had noted but not submitted, with unclear results." There are perhaps a couple of hundred or so annotations in the early fascicles by Fitzedward Hall. They are written in a tiny hand, and are often in abbreviated or shorthand form, and frankly, difficult to read, let alone parse. "In 1919–1920, J. R. R. Tolkien was employed by the OED, researching etymologies of the Waggle to Warlock range;[25] later he parodied the principal editors as "The Four Wise Clerks of Oxenford" in the story Farmer Giles of Ham" (Wikipedia). Printing and the Mind of Man 371: "The greatest tresure house of any language in the world." A-ANT [1884, Murray]; ANT-BATTEN [1885, Murray]; BATTER-BOZ [1887, Murray; with complimentary slip from the Oxford University Press Delegates laid in - heretofore, "OUP comp slip"]; BRA-BYZ [1888, Murray]; C-CASS [1888, Murray]; CASS-CLIVY [1889, Murray]; CLO-CONSIGNER [1891, Murray]; CONSIGNIFICANT-CROUCHING [1893, Murray; OUP comp slip]; CROUCHMAS-CZECH [1893, Murray; with a note tipped in on the binding of letter 'C']; D-DECIET [1894, Murray; back wrapper missing]; DECIET-DEJECT [1895, Murray]; DEJECT-DEPRAVATION [1895, Murray; OUP comp slip]; DEPRATIVE-DEVELOPMENT [1895, Murray]; DEVELOPMENT- DIFFLUENCY [1896, Murray]; DIFFLUENT-DISBURDEN [1896, Murray]; DISBURDENED-DISOBSERVANT [1896, Murray]; DISOBST-DISTRUSTFUL [1897, Murray; OUP comp slip]; DISTRUSTFULLY-DOOM [1897, Murray; back wrapper missing]; DOOM-DZIGGETAL [1897, Murray; with notice to binder on blue paper laid in; OUP comp slip]; E-EVERY [1891, Murray & Henry Bradley; OUP comp slip]; EVERYBODY-EZOD [1894, Murray & Bradley; prospectus for Skeat's Chaucer bound in, and specimen page for the same laid in; errata slip for 'eye-star' tipped-in]; F-FANG [1894, Bradley]; FANGED-FEE [1895, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; FEE-FIELD [1895, Bradley]; FIELD-FISH [1896, Bradley]; FISH-FLEXUOSE [1896, Bradley]; FLEXUOSITY-FOISTER [1897, Bradley]; FOISTY-FRANKISH [1897, Bradley]; FRANK-LAW - GAIN-COMING [1898, Bradley; with dedication leaf to Queen Victoria bound in; with Note on the structure of this particular fascicle laid in; OUP comp slip]; GAINCOPE- GERMANIZING [1898, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; GERMANO-GLASS-CLOTH [1899, Bradley]; GLASS-COACH-GRADED [1900, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; GRADELY-GREEMENT [1900, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; GREEN-GYZZARN [1901, Bradley; note for GREEN-GYZZARN laid in; OUP comp slip]; H-HAVERSIAN [1898, Murray; OUP comp slip]; HAVERSINE-HEEL [1898, Murray; OUP comp slip]; HEEL-HOD [1899, Murray; OUP comp slip]; HOD-HORIZONTAL [1899, Murray]; HORIZONTALLY-HYWE [1899, Murray; 'Notice' slip on green paper laid in; also, a single leaf laid in, 'HORIZONJTALITY-HYWE']; I-IN [1899, Murray; OUP comp slip]; IN-INFER [1900, Murray]; INFERABLE-INPUSHING [1900, Murray]; INPUT-INVALID [1900, Murray]; INVALID-JEW [1901, Murray]; JEW-KAIRINE [1901, Murray; OUP comp slip]; KAISER-KYX [1901, Murray; OUP comp slip]; L-LAP [1901, Bradley ]; LAP-LEISURELY [1902, Bradley; 6-p. prospectus for Wright's English Dialect Dictionary laid in; OUP comp slip]; LEISURENESS-LIEF [1902, Bradley]; LIEF-LOCK [1903, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; LOCK-LYYN [1903, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; M-MANDRAGON [1904, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; MANDRAGORA-MATTER [1905, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; MATTER-MESNALTY [1906, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; MESNE-MISBIRTH [1907, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; MISBODE-MONOPOLY [1907, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; MONOPOLY-MOVEMNENT [1908, Bradley]; MOVEMENT-MYZ [1908, Bradley; directions to binder slip on green paper tipped in; also, commerative leaf to the Company of Goldsmiths at the end; OUP comp slip]; N-NICHE [1906, W.A. Craige; OUP comp slip]; NICHE-NYWE [1907, Craige; OUP comp slip; O-ONOMONASTIC [1902, Murray; OUP comp slip]; ONOMONASTICAL-OUTING [1903, Murray; OUP comp slip]; OUTJET-OZYAT [1904, Murray]; P-PARGETED [1904, Murray; OUP comp slip]; PARGETER-PENNACHED [1905, Murray; OUP comp slip]; PENNAGE-PFENNING [1905, Murray; OUP comp slip]; PH-PIPER [1906, Murray; OUP comp slip]; PIPER-POLYGENISTIC [1907, Murray]; POLYGENOUS-PREMIOUS [1908, Murray; OUP comp slip]; PREMISAL-PROPHESIER [1909, Murray; OUP comp slip]; PROPHESY-PYXIS [1909, Murray; directions to the binder slip on green paper tipped in; OUP comp slip]; Q [1902, Craige]; R-REACTIVE [1903, Craige]; REACTIVELY-REE [1904, Craige]; REE-REIGN [1905, Craige; OUP comp slip]; REIGN-RESERVE [1906, Craige]; RESERVE-RIBALDOUSLY [1908, Craige; OUP comp slip]; RIBALDIC-ROMANITE [1909, Carige; OUP comp slip]; ROMANITY-ROUNDNESS [1910, Craige; OUP comp slip]; ROUND-NOSE-RYZE [1910, Craige; OUP comp slip]; S-SAUCE [1909, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; SAUCE-ALONE-SCOURING [1910, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; SCOURING-SEDUM [1911, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; SEE-SENATORY [1912, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; SENATORY-SEVERAL [1912, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; SEVERAL-SHASTER [1913, Bradley; OUP comp slip]; SHASTRI-SHYSTER [1914, Bradley]; SI-SIMPLE [Craigie, 1911; OUP comp slip]; SIMPLE-SLEEP [Craigie, 1911; OUP comp slip]; SLEEP-SNIGGLE [Craigie, 1912; OUP comp slip]; SNIGGLE-SORROW [Craigie, 1913; OUP comp slip]; SORROW-SPEECH [Craigie, 1914; OUP comp slip]; SPEECH-SPRING [Craigie, 1914; OUP comp slip]; SPRING-STANDARD [Craigie & Bradley, 1915; OUP comp slip]; STANDARD-STEAD [Bradley, 1915; with a leaf announcing the death of Murray; also laid in is a 16-page self-wrappered pamphlet: "The Oxford English Dictionary - A Brief Account: Sir James Murrray - In Memoriam" with a portrait of Murray and 5 photomechanical illustrations of the editors and staff; also, a specimen sheet by Murray, covering the words INFRA-INFRUCTUOSE; OUP comp slip]; STEAD-STILLATIM [Bradley, 1916]; STILLATION-STRATUM [Bradley, 1917]; STRATUS-STYX [Bradley, 1919; directions to binder slip on gray paper tipped in; OUP comp slip]; SU-SUBTERRANEOUS [C. T. Onions, 1915; OUP comp slip]; SUBTERRANEOUSLY-SULLEN [Onions, 1916; OUP comp slip]; SULLEN-SUPPLE [Onions, 1917; OUP comp slip]; SUPPLE-SWEEP [Onions, 1918]; SWEEP-SZMIKITE [Onions, 1919; binder's slip dated July 1919 laid in]; T-TEALT [Murray, 1910; OUP comp slip]; TEAM-TEZKERE [Murray, 1911; OUP comp slip]; TH-THYZLE [Murray, 1912; OUP comp slip]; TI-TOMBAC [Murray, 1913; OUP comp slip]; TOMBAL-TRAHYSH [Murray, 1913; OUP comp slip]; TRAIK-TRINITY [Murray, 1914; OUP comp slip]; TRINK-TURN-DOWN [Murray, 1915; OUP comp slip]; TURNDUN-TZIRID [Murray & Craigie, 1916; OUP comp slip]; U-UNFORESEEABLE [Craigie, 1921]; UNFORESEEING-UNRIGHT [Craigie, 1924]; UNRIGHT-UZZLE [Craigie, 1926; OUP comp slip]; V-VERIFICATIVE [Craigie, 1916; OUP comp slip]; VERIFICATORY-VISOR [Craigie, 1917; OUP comp slip]; VISOR-VYWER [Craigie [1920]; W-WASH [Bradley, 1921]; WASH-WAVY [Bradley, 1923]; WAVY-WEZZON [Bradley & Craigie, 1926]; WH-WHISKING [Onions, 1923]; WHISKING-WILFULNESS; WILGA-WISE [Onions, 1926]; WISE-WYZEN [Onions & Craigie, 1928; OUP comp slip]; X-ZYXT [Onions, 1921]; Supplement, Bibliography & Introduction (in original wrappers, torn and split), [Craigie & Onions, 1933], Item #71212
Price: $25,000.00
