Background

In May 1993 the Delegates of the University Press established an Advisory Committee for the OED, whose role is to advise the editors on matters of editorial policy and to monitor the progress of the project. The membership of the Committee is:

• Professor Jean Aitchison;
• Christopher Butler (Chairman);
• Professor Anna Morpurgo-Davies;
• Lord Quirk;
• Professor Eric Stanley;
• Professor Gabriele Stein.

One of the first tasks of the Advisory Committee was to discuss and approve an outline plan for the revision of the Dictionary. This plan was approved by the Delegates of the Press in December 1993, and from that date revision began in earnest.

In approving the plan, the University Press demonstrated its long-standing commitment to producing a comprehensive revision of the OED. The financial implications were significant: some X18.5 million has now been set aside for work on the Dictionary until publication in 2005.