April Booked for Lunch

Monday, April 28 at noon: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

In a starred review, the Library Journal calls The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams, “Enchanting, sorrowful, and wonderfully written, the book is a one-of-a-kind celebration of language and its importance in our lives. A must-have.”

Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, an Oxford garden shed in which her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip and, learning that the word means “slave girl,” begins to collect other words that have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.

As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to women’s and common folks’ experiences often go unrecorded. And so she begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill those pages.

Set during the height of the women’s suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.

Regular and large-print copies are available now at the adult circulation desk. Digital editions are available for download using Libby. Join the discussion in person or online via Zoom, on Monday, April 28 at noon. Need the Zoom link? Register using our calendar or by email at RBrzozowski@cwmars.org.

Posted: to Athol Library News on Mon, Mar 17, 2025
Updated: Mon, Mar 24, 2025