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The Professor and the Madman : A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester (1998, Hardcover)

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Professor and the Madman : A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, Hardcover by Winchester, Simon, ISBN 0060175966, ISBN-13 9780060175962, Brand New, Free shipping in the US Describes how more than ten thousand definitions were submitted for the first Oxford English Dictionary from Dr. W. C. Minor, an American Civil War criminal whose life of genius and insanity make this true story both fascinating and unique. BOMC.

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Mysterious (mist e - ries), a. f. L. myst rium Mysteryi ] ous. Cf. F. myst rieux.] 1. Full of or fraught with mystery; wrapt in mystery; hidden from human knowledge or understanding; impossible or difficult to explain, solve, or discover; of obscure origin, nature, or purpose. It is known as one of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters. The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took seventy years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brilliant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story--a story of two remarkable men whose strange twenty-year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking. Professor James Murray, an astonishingly learned former schoolmaster and bank clerk, was the distinguished editor of the OED project. Dr. William Chester Minor, an American surgeon from New Haven, Connecticut, who had served in the Civil War, was one of thousands of contributors who submitted illustrative quotations of words to be used in the dictionary. But Minor was no ordinary contributor. He was remarkably prolific, sending thousands of neat, handwritten quotations from his home in the small village of Crowthorne, fifty miles from Oxford. On numerous occasions Murray invited Minor to visit Oxford and celebrate his work, but Murray's offer was regularly--and mysteriously--refused. Thus the two men, for two decades, maintained a close relationship only through correspondence. Finally, in 1896, after Minor had sent nearly ten thousand definitions to the dictionary but had still never traveled from his home, a puzzled Murray set out to visit him. It was then that Murray finally learned the truth about Minor--that, in addition to being a masterful wordsmith, Minor was also a murderer, clinically insane--and locked up in Broadmoor, England's harshest asylum for criminal lunatics. The Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness and genius, and the incredible obsessions of two men at the heart of the Oxford English Dictionary and literary history. With riveting insight and detail, Simon Winchester crafts a fascinating glimpse into one man's tortured mind and his contribution to another man's magnificent dictionary.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
HarperCollins
ISBN-10
0060175966
ISBN-13
9780060175962
eBay Product ID (ePID)
1055996

Product Key Features

Book Title
Professor and the Madman : A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Author
Simon Winchester
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Lexicography, United States / Civil War Period (1850-1877), General, Literary, Europe / Great Britain / General, Linguistics / Etymology, Historical
Publication Year
1998
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, Language Arts & Disciplines, History
Number of Pages
256 Pages

Dimensions

Item Length
8.2in
Item Height
0.9in
Item Width
5.5in
Weight
12 Oz
Item Weight
12 Oz

Additional Product Features

Lc Classification Number
Pe1617.O94w56 1998
Publication Date
1998-08-26
Reviews
"A brisk, gracefully executed work of popular intellectual history, a model of its kind." -- Washington Post "An extraordinary tale, and Simon Winchester could not have told it better. . . . [He] has written a splendid book." -- The Economist "Elegant and scrupulous." -- David Walton, New York Times Book Review "There is much truth to be drawn [from The Professor and the Madman] about Victorian pride, the relation between language and the world, and the fine line between sanity and madness." -- Wall Street Journal "Winchester combines a reporter's eye for detail with a historian's sense of scale. His writing is droll and eloquent." -- USA Today "One of the great strengths of this book is historical mise-en-scene, particularly for nineteenth-century America and England...[a] marvelous work of historical and philogical imagination." -- Linda Bridges, National Review "Remarkably readable, this chronicle of lexicography roams from the great dictionary itself to hidden nooks in the human psyche that sometimes house the motives for murder, the sources for sanity, and the blueprint for creativity." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred) "The Professor and the Madman...is the linguistic detective story of the decade.... Winchester does a superb job of historical research that should entice readers even more interested in deeds than words." -- William Safire, New York Times Magazine "Winchester's history of the OED is brisk and entertaining" -- Mark Rozzo, Washington Post Book World
Lccn
98-010204
Dewey Decimal
423/.092
Intended Audience
Trade
Dewey Edition
21

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4.6

4.6 out of 5 stars based on 16 product ratings

16 product ratings

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See all 15 reviews

5 out of 5 stars
by thepoetandthepe...Feb 03, 2017
The Professor & The Madman
This book was a quick read and very enjoyable. I noticed it at a bookstore and it intrigued me, so I promptly looked online for a less expensive copy. Found it! Probably the best purchase I've ever made under $5. I love books, am always fascinated with words and language, and this story of the extraordinary men behind the making of the first complete dictionary makes a great read. It's amazing that it's true, and Winchester makes it so story-like rather than a fact dumping account– you gain insight and perspective into the lives these men lead- the story develops and takes you places, transports you- just as you would find in a story with fictional characters. I found it to be interesting the whole way through, compelling until the very end. The story is quite striking, odd, and perfectly real.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by bus7Jul 23, 2019
Life is stranger than fiction.
Well written, excellent editing and a phenomenal true story.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by rdale0Nov 21, 2018
Interesting and informative, a good history lesson as well.
From the Civil War to Oxford by unlikely contributors to our knowledge.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
5 out of 5 stars
by pfnosillaJul 09, 2008
Interesting and different true revelation about the OED
I like the writing style and the format it was presented. The English language is so extremely comples and this effort to produce a comprehensive English dictionary was an equally complex process. The tale gave new insights into both the language and the complexities involved in the production of the OED. At times, I was brought into the minds of these two great men.
5 out of 5 stars
by elenawonadyJun 10, 2017
enjoyable book about dictionaries
fascinating to listen to..as well as read
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned

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The Professor and the Madman : A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester (1998, Hardcover)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

All listings for this product

Ratings and Reviews

Most relevant reviews

The Professor & The Madman

Life is stranger than fiction.

Interesting and informative, a good history lesson as well.

Interesting and different true revelation about the OED

enjoyable book about dictionaries

Best Selling in Books

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