Oxford University Press

Prepare yourself for a very nerdy and wordy post about words. 
The Oxford University Press isn't open to visitors. You cannot just walk in. You have to inquire by email to visit, but it was very easy. I made an appointment with an archivist. To visit the place where the Oxford English Dictionary was first printed, and so many other things, was such a thrill for me, the lover of words and books.

The Oxford University Press (OUP) is in Jericho, which is a village just north of the main section of Oxford. I walked up there and approached the huge building on Walton Street. I stood in front of it for a moment, just taking it all in, thinking about how many important books have been printed here. When I got inside, I was told to wait in in the lobby, and soon the archivist came along to greet me and bring me back to a museum they have set up. He talked with me first, giving me the history of the OUP, then he let me wander around the displays and items that may bore others, but have huge value to me. The handwritten entry for "walnut" written by J.R.R. Tolkien was on display. He worked for the Oxford English Dictionary in 1919. The famous pigeon holes were shown, as the Oxford English Dictionary was being created, they took entries on slip of paper and wrote down etymology, usages, examples, etc.. and placed them in the correct hole for later compilation. 

The individual tiny letters for the printing press were on display and each letter for each page had to be hand-composted onto the base. Since the printing press reversed a page when it printed, all the hand composting had to be done from back to front. The print on the page is a mirror image of the text letters on the printing press. The archivist said the people who did that went through a seven year apprenticeship to be able to set up a page without even thinking about it, sliding the letters in backwards and in reverse. An example printing press was set up there so you can see a page that was set for printing.

There was also a volume of the Oxford English Dictionary on display- part of the letter "S". I asked the archivist if the only version of the OED that has the listing of all the etymologies is the original, he said yes. So, unless I buy the volumes of the OED, I won't be able to read the pages of etymology for the word "sure".

After I read all the exhibits, I asked the archivist a ton of questions. We talked about the recent controversy regarding the OED having some lesser used words removed from the small versions of the OED. He explained that for the small editions, the OED includes the most popular words, and there are never any words removed from the original OED. Well, that's a relief! 

Then, he let me wander around the library that only the employees have access to.  When I was done, he was walking me out, and he mentioned that if I wanted to stay and eat in the cafeteria, I could do so. I thanked him and said goodbye, and checked out the lunchtime selections that looked so fresh and delicious, I ate there with all the employees. It was a very affordable lunch, and really tasty. As I sat there eating I thought about how these young employees were the one who were working on the OUP operations today, or working on every entry of the Oxford English Dictionary as they work to revise it. I was surrounded by people who, in some way, have a love for words. Whether by print or research.

I wasn't ready to leave, so I went out into the lounge area where there was a coffee bar, got a cappuccino, and sat on the bright pink sofas for while, reading, and drinking coffee as the employees passed by, sat down for a drink, or ate lunch.

For me, this was like a behind the scenes look at one of the most admired places in history.