  This is the first in a series of papers describing the {\it Optical Redshift
Survey} (ORS), a redshift survey of optically selected galaxies covering 98\%
of the sky above $|b| = 20^\circ$ (8.09 ster). The survey is drawn from the
UGC, ESO, and ESGC galaxy catalogues, and contains two sub-samples, one
complete to a $B$ magnitude of 14.5, the other complete to a $B$ major axis
diameter of $1.9^\prime$. The entire sample consists of 8457 objects, of which
redshifts are now available for 8286; 171 objects remain without measured
redshifts. The ORS provides the most detailed and homogeneous sampling of the
large-scale galaxy distribution to date in these areas. The density field of
bright optical galaxies is well-defined to $8000 \kms$, and is dominated by the
Virgo, Telescopium-Pavo-Indus, Hydra-Centaurus, Pisces-Perseus, and Coma-A1367
Superclusters. The dense sampling provided by ORS allows a detailed analysis of
the galaxy density field, and will be used to test its dependence on morphology
and other galaxy parameters.
