Dictionary of old literature?

Question

Is there a dictionary or some kind of "companion" to reading old English literature? I read a lot of old literature, classics of English literature mostly, and it bothers me that there are so many old words that modern standard dictionaries don't explain. Currently I am reading Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island and it is full of antiquated words, like pigtail tobacco (that one is pretty clear) and gully (apparently not a geological form but something a man can carry on his person).

Vorpar · Accepted Answer

A large dictionary should provide what you're looking for. The Oxford English Dictionary is designed to help with older texts.

I'm pleased with http://dictionary.reference.com/
It draws from several sources, and lists a gully as a type of knife.

Anonymous · Answer

Any current American "collegiate"-type desk dictionary will have every (or just about every) word that's in Treasure Island.  The bare handful of words that are not in it, you can figure out from the context, like you did with pigtail tobacco.

Memberjon · Answer

Thanks, Vorpar and others, for the tips. I guess it's just a matter of finding the right dictionary then. The Collins Cobuild English Dictionary only knows the geological meaning of the word "gully" (a long narrow valley with steep sides). In the novel a gully is something that is found in the pocket of a dead pirate: "... his gully with the crooked handle..."

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