Jonathon Green (born 20 April 1948 in Kidderminster, Worcestershire) is an English lexicographerofslang and writer on the history of alternative cultures. Jonathon Green is often referred to as the English-speaking world's leading lexicographer of slang,[1] and has even been described as "the most acclaimed British lexicographer since Johnson".[2]
Of Jewish origin,[3] Green was educated at Bedford School (1961–1965) and Brasenose College, Oxford (1966–1969) where he read history.[3]
His published books have primarily focussed on sixties counterculture. After publishing All Dressed Up: The Sixties and the Counterculture (1998) he was taken to court for libel by both former Beatle George Harrison and artist Caroline Coon, and was withdrawn for 12 months.[3] In June 2000, Coon received damages of £40,000, plus £33,000 costs, from publisher Random House, and received an official apology from Green for making false claims.[4] The book was later republished with the libellous passages removed.[5]
The single-volume Chambers Slang Dictionary (Chambers Harrap) was first published in 1998; a second edition appeared in October 2008.
Green's most substantial work in this field is Green's Dictionary of Slang: a three volume slang work which traces, via examples and citations drawn from the last five centuries, the history of the slang vocabulary from the earliest use of every term. It was awarded the 2012 Dartmouth Medal – an annual award from the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) recognizing the most outstanding reference work of the year.