When I was in the fourth grade I received a Webster's Dictionary as a birthday present. I had asked for it and was so delighted to receive it. I spent the next year reading it. I have been a dictionary lover ever since.
Over the years that I have been hosting this program I have had only a few opportunities to feature dictionaries on the program. When the "Shorter Oxford Dictionary" was issued in a new edition in 2002 I leaped at the opportunity to talk to one of the editors about this incredible project. This shorter version of the massive Oxford English Dictionary had far too much material for me to read in its entirety prior to the interview. I riffled through it and selected a word for each letter of the alphabet and was thoroughly amazed by the editor Jess Sheidlower-he actually knew many of the words that I had chosen! Oh, what fun we had that day. Or, at least I had fun. I think Jesse was getting a bit worn out by the time we finally got to the end of the alphabet.
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
