The Dictionary of Lost Words

2022 Longlist

Motherless and irrepressibly curious, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of lexicographers are gathering words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary.

Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day, she sees a slip containing the word ‘bondmaid’ flutter to the floor unclaimed.

Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. She begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.

About the Author/Translator

Pip Williams was born in London, grew up in Sydney and now calls the Adelaide Hills home. She is the author of the memoir One Italian Summer and the national number one bestseller, The Dictionary of Lost Words, which was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2021. Pip has also published travel articles, book reviews, flash fiction and poetry.

Librarian’s Comments

Words make up books and books make up libraries. Appreciating words is important to all readers, even if it is not done consciously. This book is a good time to think about this. Katona József Library of Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary