In conversation with Desmond Morris – part one

The Oxford English Dictionary is not the only one with a 90th birthday to celebrate this past year – Desmond Morris, the renowned zoologist and author of The Naked Ape, celebrated his 90th birthday just 12 weeks before the anniversary of the OED‘s finished First Edition!

This milestone is one of many connections Desmond shares with the dictionary and in celebration of the respective birthdays, Desmond sat down with Peter Gilliver, an Associate Editor at the OED and author of The Making of the OED, to discuss Desmond’s unique relationship with the dictionary – including his surprise connection to the OED‘s very own Sir James Murray.

Editor’s note: this interview took place in 2018 at Desmond’s then-home (and the former Murray household) in North Oxford.

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