Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, Complete Text Reproduced Micrographically (2-Volume Hardcover Set)

4116 pp. 12 x 9 1/4. Full navy blue leather, gilt titles and decorations, all edges gilt, ribbon markers bound in, silk moire endpapers. The authoritative study of the English language, unique in that it provides historical development of words, from their earliest usage onward, with quotations from literary sources. This edition is reproduced in tiny text to make the work a more manageable size. It was originally issued in a slipcase, which included a drawer containing a magnifying glass so that the text of the volumes can be read.