The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (P.S.) 
asked by axelrose on November 10, 2006 7:51 AM
When the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary put out a call during the late 19th century pleading for "men of letters" to provide help with their mammoth undertaking, hundreds of responses came forth. Some helpers, like Dr. W.C. Minor, provided literally thousands of entries to the editors. But Minor, an American expatriate in England and a Civil War veteran, was actually a certified lunatic who turned in his dictionary entries from the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Simon Winchester has produced a mesmerizing coda to the deeply troubled Minor's life, a life that in one sense began with the senseless murder of an innocent British brewery worker that the deluded Minor believed was an assassin sent by one of his numerous "enemies."
Winchester also paints a rich portrait of the OED's leading light, Professor James Murray, who spent more than 40 years of his life on a project he would not see completed in his lifetime. Winchester traces the origins of the drive to create a "Big Dictionary" down through Murray and far back into the past; the result is a fascinating compact history of the English language (albeit admittedly more interesting to linguistics enthusiasts than historians or true crime buffs). That Murray and Minor, whose lives took such wildly disparate turns yet were united in their fierce love of language, were able to view one another as peers and foster a warm friendship is just one of the delicately turned subplots of this compelling book. --Tjames Madison
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How come the author didn't know that when Dr. Minor was a student at Yale, he worked as an assistent to a professor who was helping to compile Webster's Dictionary (1864 edition), and that Minor's contribution was so great that he was given special mention in the preface of that dictionary? How much research did the author really do into Minor's life in America?
On the pages of "The Professor and the Madman", the author wonders how Minor could have become so good with citations. According to John Morse of Merriam-Webster, the likely answer is that Minor learned those skills while working for Webster's, a great AMERICAN dictionary.
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On the pages of "The Professor and the Madman", the author wonders how Minor could have become so good with citations. According to John Morse of Merriam-Webster, the likely answer is that Minor learned those skills while working for Webster's, a great AMERICAN dictionary.
[...]
reviewed by mags on November 17, 2006 12:52 AM
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There is an other-worldly quality to Winchester's yarn about the professor and the mad medical doctor.
First, we have their obsessive natures, both eager to probe the meanings of words for decades. Just imagine the power of their attention spans.
Second, we have the serendipity of their collaboration, both so polite, so professional, so intense.
Third, we have the Oxford English Dictionary itself, so monumental, so damned accurate and thorough.
Finally, we have Simon Winchester himself, so profoundly focused, so humorous and tidy, so willing to make this tale such an enjoyable read.
Yes, other-worldly, the way he allows us to enter this, mostly, Victorian world and come away with a better understanding of scholarship, madness and, even, friendship. Quite a feat!
by Larry Rochelle, author of HOME SCHOOLED, MOODY BLUE and I GOT DA EVER LOVIN' KC BLUES.
First, we have their obsessive natures, both eager to probe the meanings of words for decades. Just imagine the power of their attention spans.
Second, we have the serendipity of their collaboration, both so polite, so professional, so intense.
Third, we have the Oxford English Dictionary itself, so monumental, so damned accurate and thorough.
Finally, we have Simon Winchester himself, so profoundly focused, so humorous and tidy, so willing to make this tale such an enjoyable read.
Yes, other-worldly, the way he allows us to enter this, mostly, Victorian world and come away with a better understanding of scholarship, madness and, even, friendship. Quite a feat!
by Larry Rochelle, author of HOME SCHOOLED, MOODY BLUE and I GOT DA EVER LOVIN' KC BLUES.
reviewed by geo on November 22, 2006 8:05 PM
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Interesting and unexpected story telling style. Will look for others from this author.
reviewed by alec on November 27, 2006 8:04 PM
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I found this book to be a fascinating read related to the development of the oxford dictionary, but also about the sad life of a very troubled man. Well written and enjoyable.
reviewed by osx on November 29, 2006 3:32 PM
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This book is great in that it's both a very personal story about Minor (the "madman") and Murray (the "professor") but also about what went into making the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). For the most part, I was more interested in the latter because of the detail and, surprisingly, community that went into creating The Dictionary. It was certainly not the work of a few posh men sitting in an attic; rather, the entire nation (as well as the United States) were involved in scouring works in the English language to contribute samples to go in the OED. That to me was the most fascinating part.
The story of Minor is very interesting as well with his balance of being quite a bit nutty while at the same time being a studious, focused, and very intelligent scholar of the English language who proved to be invaluable to the creation of the OED.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is at all interested in language and the people who study it.
The story of Minor is very interesting as well with his balance of being quite a bit nutty while at the same time being a studious, focused, and very intelligent scholar of the English language who proved to be invaluable to the creation of the OED.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is at all interested in language and the people who study it.
reviewed by shagdag on November 29, 2006 6:03 PM