Jeremy Butterfield

Jeremy Butterfield – Editor

Creative & sharp-eyed editor; OUP published expert on English. Let's chat about giving your book the publishing success it deserves.

Overview

Former Editor-in-Chief at Collins Dictionaries and editor of a renowned guide to correct English, my industry background gives me a special skill set. I have thousands of hours' experience of editing, from art history to histories of cricket to Italian politics and language learning.

I love working with authors so that you 'say' exactly what you mean and connect deeply with your readers.

I’ve edited books on biography, history, business/management, languages, art history and just about any topic under the sun.

My own books are published by Oxford University Press. I edited Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage, widely regarded as a style ‘bible’ for English.

If English is not your first language, let me help polish your language by drawing on my academic background and knowledge of several languages.

A recent client said: 'Jeremy brought a much-needed clarity and lightness of touch...He was, as usual, incisive, efficient, and a pleasure to work with.'

And I'm a whizz in the kitchen.
Services
Non-Fiction
Art ELT History Humanities & Social Sciences Political Science & Current Affairs Writing & Publishing
Languages
English (UK) English (US)
Certifications
  • BA, MA Oxford
  • Institute of Linguists DipTrans (Spanish), post-grad degree equivalent.

Work experience

Self-employed

Apr, 2006 — Present

Since working for myself, I've added thousands of hours to the copy-editing experience gained in my HarperCollins publishing career. Apart from copy-editing, I've done some successful copywriting for a major brand. When not copy-editing or writing, I blog on language-related issues. I was delighted to be invited by Oxford to write a book - Damp Squid - and to be appointed the editor of Fowler's Modern English Usage.

HarperCollins (Collins Dictionaries)

Mar, 2004 — May, 2006 (about 2 years)

Responsible for the quality of the whole range of Collins dictionaries, as well as being the talking head for PR campaigns, including multiple radio and TV appearances and conference presentations.

HarperCollins (Collins Dictionaries)

Apr, 1998 — Feb, 2004 (almost 6 years)

Responsible for commissioning dictionaries and language reference titles, both monolingual (English) and bilingual (several languages). In charge of developing the unique Collins language database 'The Bank of English'.

HarperCollins (Collins Dictionaries)

Feb, 1994 — Mar, 1998 (about 4 years)

Responsible for commissioning, editing and quality checking various ranges of dictionaries and language references titles, as well as ensuring profitability and schedule targets were met.

Portfolio

Faaborg Museum and the Artists' Colony

Hedin, Gry

Design and Visual Culture from the Bauhaus to Contemporary Art: Optical Deconstructions (Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies)

Edit Tóth

This book complements the more textually-based Bauhaus scholarship with a practice-oriented and creative interpretive method, which makes it possible to consider Bauhaus-related works in an unconventional light. Edit Toth argues that focusing on the functional... read more
Artistic Visions of the Anthropocene North: Climate Change and Nature in Art (Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies)

In the era of the Anthropocene, artists and scientists are facing a new paradigm in their attempts to represent nature. Seven chapters, which focus on art from 1780 to the present that engages with Nordic landscapes, argue that a number of artists in this peri... read more
Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage

Why literally shouldn't be taken literally.Why Americans think home in on something is a mistake and Brits think hone in is.Is it OK to spell OK okay?What's wrong with hence why?Was Alanis Morrisette ever ironic?Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage is t... read more
From Midnight to Glorious Morning?: India Since Independence

Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose was born in January 1947. Eight months later, India became a modern, free nation. The country he knew growing up in the 1960s has undergone vast and radical change. India today exports food, sends space probes to Mars, and, all too often, Indian bus... read more
Lion and Lamb: A Portrait of British Moral Duality (Haus Curiosities)

Mihir Bose

The great British dilemma is this: Britain is a country forever wrestling with two moral sides—whether to be viewed as a lion that roars and conquers, or a gentle lamb that gambols happily. In the days of the empire, one face meant the Magna Carta, Habeas Corp... read more
Food and Cooking Skills Education: Why teach people how to cook? (Routledge Studies in Food, Society and the Environment)

Anita Tull

Food and Cooking Skills Education (FCSE) is a complex mix of policy and practicality, educational theory and pedagogy, classroom and government policy. This book shows how FCSE has been at the centre of a tussle between education and policy for decades. It rev... read more
Refuting ISIS

Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi

This second edition of the book comes after the heinous attacks that ISIS perpetrated in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, France, the USA and Indonesia. These attacks, which must be condemned by Muslim scholars and preachers around the world, are another testimony that... read more
Italy from Crisis to Crisis: Political Economy, Security, and Society in the 21st Century (Routledge Advances in European Politics)

Italy from Crisis to Crisis seeks to understand Italy’s approach to crises by studying the country in regional, international, and comparative context. Without assuming that the country is abnormal or unusually crisis-prone, the authors treat Italy as an examp... read more
Collins Easy Learning German – Easy Learning German Grammar

Collins Dictionaries

Collins Easy Learning Grammar titles provide easily accessible information in an attractively presented layout. Key grammatical points are highlighted, and a glossary gives clear explanations of grammatical terminology. The books also discuss all the regular v... read more
Collins English Dictionary

Jeremy Butterfield

This edition of the "Collins English Dictionary" has been fully revised to include thousands of the latest buzz and hi-tech words, as well as new meanings from the Bank of English. It includes a much wider and richer range of words than ever before, with regio... read more
Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare

Jeremy Butterfield

When James Murray compiled the OED in the 19th century, he used a small army of volunteers--and thousands upon thousands of paper slips--to track down the English language. Today, linguists use massive computer power--including the world's largest language dat... read more

Jeremy has 1 review

Professionalism

Quality

Value

Responsiveness

Vivien H.

Vivien H.

Feb, 2021

Jeremy is an expert wordsmith and second to none in terms of grammar and attention to detail. He is also good to work with and personable.

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