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

Simon Winchester

ISBN 10: 0965792951 / ISBN 13: 9780965792950

Published by Jona Books (edition First Edition), 2003

About this Item

The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way.

Seller Inventory # 0965792951-7-18

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
• Publisher: Jona Books (edition First Edition)
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0965792951
• ISBN 13: 9780965792950
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fair

About this title

Synopsis

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 began in 1857, it 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.