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.
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"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."
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Chrissy (4 out of 5 stars)