The Ring of Words

The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary is a scholar book published in 2006, by three editors of the Oxford English Dictionary: Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall, and Edmund Weiner.

The book first examines J.R.R. Tolkien's brief period working as a lexicographer with the OED after World War I, then traces how Tolkien's philology shaped and nourished both his academic and his literary work. The last part, which occupies more than half of the book, looks at over 100 individual words used or invented by Tolkien, arranged alphabetically, and discusses their origins, potential sources, Tolkien's use of them, and changes he made to their meanings.

The title is taken from some verses by R.L. Stevenson, quoted on the title page:

Bright is the ring of words
When the right man rings them,
Fair the fall of songs
When the singer sings them.
Contents
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgements
  • Part I: Tolkien as Lexicographer
  • Part II: Tolkien as Wordwright
  • Part III: Word Studies
  • Epilogue: Tolkien's influence on the English language
  • Bibliography
  • Index
Publication history and gallery
The Ring of Words 2006.jpeg
2009 paperback
2009 paperback
  • Oxford University Press, hardcover (2006), pp. 256. ISBN 978-0198610694
  • Oxford University Press, paperback (2009), ISBN 978-0199568369
Referencias

1. Esta ficha se ha importado inicialmente de TolkienGateway.net el día 30/05/2026.

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