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THE CENTURY DICTIONARY.
An encyclopedic lexicon of the English language.
Complete in 6 volumes.

Printed in 1889 - 1891.

FIRST EDITION / FIRST PRINTING.

Provenance of President Adams of University of Wisconsin.
Armorial bookplate of President Adams to the Library of the University of Wisconsin.
But, no markings except a small 5 digit number crossed out and marked discarded in pencil.

Bound in thick morocco leather bindings.
Gilded spines.
Marbled edges, and end papers.
13 inches high folio-sized.
Almost 3 inches thick each.
Almost 17 inches of shelf space.
In text illustrations.
Thick quality paper.
Columned text.
These weigh approximately 10 pounds each, unpacked.
Published by The Century Co, New York.

In good condition and consistent with that book grade. General rubs/wear, the hinges are all attached although there is some starting/rubs. Some general rubs/wear. Some overextended pages and gatherings. The rear blank end paper in volume one is lacking. A lot of general usage wear/rubs, but intact and complete. Text blocks are a little loose. These are large impressive books. Evidence of library markings removed from the spine. Ex library but previously owned by the President. Some creasing, some thumbing. Printed on quality paper. Appears free of foxing.

This is the first edition of the dictionary, with approximately 6000 wood-engraved illustrations.
Twenty-four separate parts, comprising the six volumes.
Preface by the editor; exhaustive definitions for over 200,000 words, adapted especially for American needs, including word etymologies, homonyms, pronunciation guidelines, discussions of selected synonyms, numerous extracts and quotations, definitions of technical terms, etc.; and list of sources.

The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia was one of the largest encyclopedic dictionaries of the English language. The first edition was published from 1889 to 1891 by The Century Company of New York, in six, eight, or ten volume versions (originally issued in 24 fascicles) in 7,046 pages with some 10,000 wood-engraved illustrations. It was edited by Sanskrit scholar and linguist William Dwight Whitney, with Benjamin Eli Smith's assistance. It was a great expansion of the smaller Imperial Dictionary, which in turn had been based on the 1841 edition of Noah Webster's American Dictionary.

The Century Dictionary was admired for the quality of its entries, the craftsmanship in its design, typography, and binding, and its excellent illustrations. It has been used as an information source for the makers of many later dictionaries, including editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, who cited it over 2,000 times in the first edition. In 1913, Stewart Archer Steger from the University of Virginia published his Ph.D. dissertation "American Dictionaries" and devoted a 14-page Chapter VI on Century Dictionary. He concluded the chapter with these words: "Altogether, The Century Dictionary far surpasses anything in American lexicography.

This would make an excellent gift and/or addition to any fine library. In addition to their shelf presence, Rare & Antiquarian Books make a great investment. We always pack very securely to help ensure safe handling during transit. All books are individually wrapped and professionally padded. We offer a full refund guarantee, per our terms, and notification of return must be made within ten days.