Peter Sutcliffe

2297 The Oxford University Press: An Informal History, by Peter Sutcliffe (read 3 Jun 1990) This is a 1978 book and is a kind of book I have never read before: a history of a publisher. It wasn't too bad a book and was really quite funny at times! For example: "It did not require any great flair to recognize that Miller's Passerine Birds was going to be a slow seller. Not even the author's best friends or worst enemies would necessarily buy the English translation. Nevertheless its sales record was remarkable: 784 copies were printed, and in the first year seven copies were sold (and 40 given away); in 1880 one copy was sold, and in 1881 two copies. Another copy was sold in 1884, and three more went in the 1890's. After 21 years it had sold 21 copies." The book was fun as it made me realize all the good stuff the Oxford Press has published--1000's of different books, including the gargantuan task of doing the Oxford English Dictionary. One should read the entry on the word "set" therein.… (más)