Search - The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

A bit wordy, but an interesting story about the OED and one of it's more "colorful" contributors.

It is known as one of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters. The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took 70 years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brilliant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story-a story of two remarkable men whose strange 20 year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking. You'll love this book.

A very interesting story but the writing was very poor and the author's tone patronizing. Had to force myself to finish it.

Very interesting book especially if you are interested in language usage.

The amazing achievement that is the OED gets a human face with the telling of this tragic story. Dr. Minor's personal adversity--his insanity, his crime, and his resulting confinement in an asylum--also positioned him to make a remarkable and lasting contribution to the great dictionary. Winchester makes sure that the people are the book's primary focus, and provides just enough lexicographical detail for clarity. An engrossing read.

A fascinating story. When I selected it I had doubts. Then I read it and was very impressed by just about everything in it. It almost reads as romance of people involved in a 70 year project going through generations to great the greatest dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary. One would not think that writting a dictionary would be anything but the ultimate bore. Its not.