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

9780060994860: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, 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 compilation of the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

 

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
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

From the Back Cover:

Limited Edition

“I am the Governor of the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Dr Minor is most certainly here.”

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherHarper Perennial
  • Publication date1999
  • ISBN 10 006099486X
  • ISBN 13 9780060994860
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages272
  • Rating

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780060839789: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780060839789
Publisher: Harper Perennial, 2005
Softcover

  • 9780060175962: The Professor and the Madman

    Harper, 1998
    Hardcover

  • 9780062564610: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

    Harper..., 2016
    Softcover

  • 9780783885001: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (G K Hall Large Print Book Series)

    G K Ha..., 1999
    Hardcover

  • 9780061030222: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

    Harper..., 1999
    Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (1999)
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Books Unplugged
(Amherst, NY, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. Buy with confidence! Book is in new, never-used condition. Seller Inventory # bk006099486Xxvz189zvxnew

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 20.46
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (1999)
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Book Deals
(Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New! This book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. Seller Inventory # 353-006099486X-new

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 20.46
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Soft cover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Jay's Basement Books
(Sonora, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Soft cover. Condition: New. 242pp. + Ads new / remainder mark on bottom. History, English Language. Seller Inventory # 021911

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 15.50
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.99
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (1999)
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldenWavesOfBooks
(Fayetteville, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_006099486X

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 23.51
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (1999)
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
GoldBooks
(Austin, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think006099486X

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 28.63
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.25
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (1999)
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Front Cover Books
(Denver, CO, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover006099486X

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 28.89
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.30
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (1999)
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wizard Books
(Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard006099486X

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 54.82
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 3.50
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Simon Winchester
Published by Harper Perennial (1999)
ISBN 10: 006099486X ISBN 13: 9780060994860
New Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
BennettBooksLtd
(LOS ANGELES, CA, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.46. Seller Inventory # Q-006099486X

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy New
US$ 57.60
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: US$ 4.13
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds