Click on the links below to hear John Simpson, the editor of the OED, respond to my questions about how he came to work for one of the world’s most prestigious reference projects.

1. How did John come to join the OED back in 1976? Did he wake up one morning knowing he wanted to be a lexicographer? Click here.

2. When he started, did he actually know what the job of a historical lexicographer entailed? Click here.

3. Next, I asked John if he remembers what the work was like back when he started. Click here.
4. And finally, did he remember the first word he worked on when he began? Click here.