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

A narrative full of suspense, pathos and humor. . . . In this elegant book [Winchester] has created a vivid parable, in the spirit of Nabokov and Borges. There is much truth to be drawn from it, about Victorian pride, the relation between language and the world, and the fine line between sanity and madness. -- Daniel Mark Epstein, Wall Street JournalSplendid. . . . Simon Winchester could not have told it better. --The EconomistIn celebration of its 25th anniversary, an updated edition of the worldwide celebrated classic, featuring a new introduction by the author.Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary--one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the OED's overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand entries. But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him. Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.