Play Audiobook Sample
The Professor and The Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 34,689 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
A New York Times Notable Book
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—and literary history.
The making of the OED was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him. For Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.
Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman “is the linguistic detective story of the decade.” (William Safire, New York Times Magazine)
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Download and start listening now!
"Much more tragic a story than I'd ever expected, this book delivers on its tripartite promise of murder, insanity, and dictionary-making. It details the history of the timelessly impressive accomplishment that is the Oxford English Dictionary, focusing on one of its most prolific volunteer contributors-- who also happened to be a life-long patient at an institute for the criminally insane. What evolves from this exploration of a life's work is a completely haunting, though at times touching, tale of the human mind in all its capacities. Simon Winchester moves from Ceylonian (now Sri Lankan) beaches to the American Civil war, from Victorian London slums to the castles of Oxford University, and always back to mental institutes, skillfully weaving a narrative of a promising life gone wrong and the good that nevertheless came out of it. What I found most interesting (I'm a psychological researcher, I can't help it) were the moral questions that Winchester poses, but does not claim to know a "right answer" to, regarding the recent institutionalization of psychopharmaceuticals in the treatment of mental disorder. Is it right, he asks, to erode away with medication the unusual neurological landscapes that often contribute to great inventions, discoveries, or accomplishments, because they can also lead to harm or danger? Can we weigh the value of unique mental perspectives against the threat of volatility? Is a human life worth a creation as influential and magnificent as the Oxford English Dictionary, and should we even be the ones deciding?I learned a lot from this book, least of which is a host of new words to add to my vocabulary; it speaks much more strongly to the human condition than to lexicography, but it offers a truly fascinating, absolutely sad, history of both."
— Chrissy (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“High marks to this entertaining study of a fascinating piece of literary history.”
— Huffington Post -
“The Professor and the Madman interweaves the sagas of Murray, Minor, and the OED with all the fascination of a well-crafted mystery, compelling the reader to find out how two such remarkable men came to cooperate on such a ludicrously ambitious project.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review -
“With his cheeky way with a tale …Winchester celebrates a gloomy life brightened by devotion to a quietly noble, nearly anonymous task.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“ First-rate writing: well-crafted, incisive, abundantly playful.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Awards
-
A New York Times bestseller
-
A 1998 New York Times Notable Book for Nonfiction
-
A 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
The Professor and The Madman Listener Reviews
-
—
Doug , 10/31/2021
-
—
Jostein, 10/18/2021
-
" Fascinating and informative. A melding of history and characters. I love when a nonfiction book shows something well-known from a different point of view, or at least, mixes it with other information from the current day that one would normally never associate with the subject. Also, this is an acute view of mental illness and how it was viewed in history (specifically in Victorian England). A big question is, would the Oxford English Dictionary have been less magnificent if one of its main patrons was treated differently? "
— Annie, 1/20/2014 -
" What a totally engrossing and interesting book! Simon Winchester's voice as the narrator is so compelling and almost spell-binding that it is hard to put this book down. Who would have thought that it would take seventy years to put together the Oxford English Dictionary and that there were so many stories behind it's writing? The book was just long enough to keep it really interesting. I am certainly interested in reading other books by Winchester. "
— Deb, 12/30/2013 -
" This book could have been a fascinating magazine article, but was bloated and too excited about uninteresting tangents (in the purplest of prose) at its full length. "
— Katherine, 11/30/2013 -
" Fast read. Really enjoyable. Seems odd that Winchester included so little about the other madman contributor (the hermit) "
— Marcy, 11/22/2013 -
" Very easy and enjoyable read about the origins of the Oxford English Dictionary--and the criminally insane American Civil War surgeon who was one of the main contributors. "
— Shelley, 11/16/2013 -
" Thoroughly enjoyed, but it's been too long since I read this for me to give it a comprehensive review. "
— Jennie, 10/21/2013 -
" Reads like an interesting magazine article stretched to book length. Also, Winchester's self-congratulatory epilogue on being the first person to commemorate the murdered man who started the whole affair was a little gross. "
— Lisa, 10/21/2013 -
" The making of the Oxford English Dictionary is much much more interesting than I thought! Brilliant book! "
— Stephanie, 8/18/2013 -
" The stories of the people involved in the making of the dictionary were very interesting. The technical details of the making of the dictionary..not so much. "
— Piper, 6/1/2013 -
" Couldn't get through it, got dense, or just not in the head space. "
— Greg, 5/11/2013 -
" Well, I finished this book and while it's something I would never have read on my own (I read it for my book club) I did enjoy it, although some parts were kind of boring to me, towards the end of the book it got much more interesting and then I enjoyed it. It is an amazing story! "
— Cathie, 3/24/2013 -
" A fascinating read for those interested in the English language, history, and the nuisances of human mind. I could not put it down. Not for the faint of heart as there is a fair amount of darkness to this work, but I do recommend it. "
— Seán, 12/29/2012 -
" Who knew that the OED was beholden to an American, much less a convicted murderer? Great story! "
— Andy, 10/25/2012 -
" A really engaging book that reads like a novel. "
— Jason, 8/26/2012 -
" Towards the end, this one took a turn I wasn't expecting, but overall an interesting, if only a bit sensational, read. "
— Caitlin, 3/8/2012 -
" I love learning new things and this gave me much insigh and was fascinating. However, it's certainly not a page-turner. "
— Stephanie, 12/22/2011 -
" Can't remember if I finished. Just got boring at the end. And sad. But the dictionary sounds interesting. "
— Jack, 9/25/2011 -
" Curious about how the Oxford English Dictionary came about....pretty wild story! "
— Patty, 9/19/2011 -
" This book takes the reader back to Victorian England to describe the unbelievable creation/compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary and the two remarkable men who brought the project to completion. Amazing! "
— Colleen, 8/30/2011 -
" Who knew that a book about the creation of a dictionary could be so fascinating? I could not put this book down. "
— Anna, 5/19/2011 -
" A bittersweets story of how a paranoid schizophrenic, convicted of murder and condemned to an insane asylum, finds solace by taking part in the greatest English literary achievement to date. "
— Jason, 5/16/2011 -
" What a great book! I had forgotten all about it I read it so long ago. Must go find and reread! "
— Libby, 5/13/2011 -
" Nice weaving of history, facts, and fiction all in one. "
— Deepti, 5/12/2011 -
" "He was mad, and for that, we have reason to be glad." Unless you're the wife or one of the 7 children of the man he killed that is. "
— Marissa, 5/8/2011 -
" A truly weird tale about the making of the Oxford Dictionary. I enjoyed it immensely. "
— Karen, 5/8/2011 -
" The book was an interesting story, but I found it quite boring. "
— Melissa, 5/7/2011 -
" The parts that were really amazing had to compete with the parts that were simply pretentious. Pity. "
— Jennifer, 5/6/2011 -
" Couldn't get through it. So boring. "
— Miriam, 5/3/2011 -
" The book was exceedingly hard to get into and and abnormally slow. It was not as informative as one might think. I would no recommended this book. "
— Leah, 4/28/2011 -
" I'm a lingo junkie so I really liked this book. Lotsof interesting detail, simply superb :) "
— Diah, 4/28/2011 -
" Read this book a second time after reading it the first time in 2004. A good book that gives you a deep appreciation of the work and effort that went into the making of the OED. "
— Tim, 4/24/2011
About Simon Winchester
Simon Winchester is the acclaimed author of many books, including The Professor and the Madman, The Men Who United the States, The Map That Changed the World, The Man Who Loved China, A Crack in the Edge of the World, and Krakatoa, all of which were New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous best books of the year lists. In 2006, he was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty the Queen.