on when I win the lottery, and on crossness

this is what I’ll buy:

Screen shot 2009-08-30 at 6.30.57 PM

Maybe also (seems to be included in the multiposte version; may be obtainable c/o ARTFL Subscription, but unsure, and at any rate Dublin libraries are perplexed by the whole thing … ):

DICTIONNAIRE DE L’ANCIENNE LANGUE FRANCAISE ET DE TOUS SES DIALECTES. DU IXE AU XV EME SIECLE.
Version monosite, monoposte.La nomenclature du Dictionnaire (plus de 160 000 entrées) offre toutes les richesses de la vieille langue, mots de la langue duMoyen Age que le français moderne n’a pas conservés, sauf quand ces mots, encore vivants, ont des significations qui ont disparu. Accumulant les exemples empruntés aussi bien aux sources imprimées qu’aux manuscrits des bibliothèques et des archives, Frédér ic Godefroy s’est astreint à suivre l’histoire des mots dans la langue parlée, les divers idiomes populaires, les dialectes, les noms de personnes et de lieux. Comme Du Cange, il a même enregistré des termes, le plus souvent techniques, dont le sens précis avait échappé à ses recherches en les faisant suivre d’un point d’interrogation de doute. En somme, le Godefroy réunit la plus riche collection de mots et de formes qu’il était possible de constituer.
– Sous chaque entrée ou sous-entrée le Dictionnaire rassemble toutes les formes orthographiques prises par un même mot au long des siècles et en donne la traduction en français moderne, signalant les sources avec un luxe inhabituel de détai ls.

– Les définitions s’appuient sur un grand nombre d’exemples et de citations.

– Godefroy a abjuré tout purisme pour accueillir non seulement les mots qu’il appelle «bien faits et durables» consacrés parles meilleurs écrivains des XIe, XIIe et XIIIe siècles (environ 370 000 extraits d’auteurs!) mais aussi tous les autres, en poussant jusqu’au XVe siècle, y compris les nombreuses références scientifiques ou juridiques recueillies dans les chartes française s et latines.


Disponible: OUI
Prix CHF HT: 4000.00

CHAMPION ELECTRONIQUE LIEU D’EDITION: PARIS PARUTION: 01.12.02

COLLECTION: CD ROM CHAMPION ELECTRONIQUE FORMAT: CD-ROM PC OU INTERNE

1 pages sous coffret 1 volume(s)

N° SERIE: ISBN: EAN:
2745308246 9782745308245
(That’s the individual licence. The multiposte is much, much more.) In the meantime, any library that would like to think of itself as “decent” and “self-respecting”, let alone “good,” should be encouraged to buy them. Well, they should actually have them already without being told
I’d probably also spend money on the usual: palatial mansions for family, holidays, clothes, fine food, charity donations, daily supply of caviar and champagne for life, andif the money didn’t run out, copies of the above for whatever I then count as my local libraries. Probably some more books for them too. And more liberal book donations than I’m used to doing. Yes, I admit to being one of those sneaky people who leave suspicious-looking books lying around and cross their fingers that the bomb-disposal people don’t get there first – they’re fiends for a good imaginative read – and anyway, it’s freecycling so it’s virtuous. I’d probably spend some lottery money on buying many copies of books I think everyone should read, and leaving them lying around looking nonchalantly appetising.
Which books? Hmmm, woud have to be done spontaneously then; right now this wouldbe too much of a “top 100 reads” list. I like lists, but not restricted and competitive lists like that. The Obrienatrix regrets that she is very much a female of the species when it comes to disdain for the FHM/Top Gear style Top… lists. The Roman de la Rose would be there, of course.
The laudable principle aside, one can purchase fashionable accessories for the hip freewheeling book: “Release Kits” inluding bookplates, stickies, and bookmarks. This is for serious reading. So if you see one these lovely Release Bags, you’ll know what to do – and you’ll know you’re lost and damned, damned, damned:
picture-2

One comment

  1. Addendum: no, those are indeed separate dictionaries – the latter is the full Godefroy in all its glory; the former (included in the _Corpus_) is just the _Lexique_.
    Alas and alack, this will have to be a big lottery win.

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