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

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
reviewed on + 157 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Pretty good book detailing some of the lives involved with the development of the OED. There's Prof. Murray, one of the heads of the OED. There's also Dr. Minor, an American who helped gather information from his rooms where he was kept in a nearby asylum for the criminally insane. The situation surrounding these men is interesting, but the development and examination of their circumstances feels a little forced, especially around the part a reader might really look forward to, their first meeting. But over all the book is a good Simon Winchester history, enjoyable and well detailed. I would steer kids away from this because of the sexual nature of Dr. Minor's illness and its manifestations. But a good book.