Sarah Ogilvie: The Dictionary People

Sarah Ogilvie discusses the unique structure of the Oxford English Dictionary, the crowdsourcing method used to gather quotations, and how it became 'the Wikipedia of its day'. She uncovers the unsung heroes behind the making of the dictionary, including crowdsourcing in the Victorian era and the surprising contributions of a murderer and patient in a mental asylum. The chapter also explores the involvement of women in the dictionary's creation, highlighting the correlation with the suffragette movement.