The Professor and the Madman: Summary and book reviews of The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester, plus links to an excerpt from The Professor and the Madman and a biography of Simon Winchester.
The Professor and the Madman A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
by Simon Winchester
Hardcover: Jan 1998,
256 pages.
Paperback: Jul 2005,
288 pages.
Mysterious (mistîe · ries), a. [f. L. mystérium Mysteryi + ous. Cf. F. mystérieux.]
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.
Wall Street Journal
Deftly weaves into a narrative full of suspense, pathos and humor.
Book World Washington Post
Brisk and entertaining.
NY Times Book Review
Elegant. . .imaginative. . .One of the strangest modern literary stories.
Publisher's Weekly
With his cheeky way with a tale ('It is a brave and foolhardy and desperate man who will perform an autopeotomy' he writes of Minor's self-mutilation), Winchester celebrates a gloomy life brightened by devotion to a quietly noble, nearly anonymous task.
Time Out (UK)
[Winchester's]. . .casual and engaging prose makes the book appealing to lay readers of general history. . .the author can't seem to stop getting in the way of his story. . .psychological insights are often labored and conjectural. . . .an interesting read on the background of one of the most important books in the English language.
London Times
This is almost my favorite kind of book the work of social and intellectual history which through the oblique treatment of major developments manages to throw unusual light on humankind and its doings... Simon Winchester's effortlessly clear, spare prose is the perfect vehicle for the tale... absolutely riveting.
The Economist
An extraordinary tale. . .a splendid book.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Elizabeth Very Interesting This book is excellent for any word lover, but is a bit stilted and detailed.
It was very clever how the author put a page from the dictionary as the beginning of each chapter and the subject of that chapter dealt with the word.
From... Read More
Rated of 5
by Sam Staying Power It's a relatively small book, appealing and lackluster simultaneously.
You will never forget the mechanics of how the OED was created, you will ruminate endlessly regarding the innovations of a madman, and you will be glad you read the... Read More
Rated of 5
by Millie The Surgeon of Crowthorne I was fascinated from the first page. In 1978 I treated myself to a complete set of the OED (13 volumes) and have used it ever since and have always been amazed at the wealth of information for every word including the first instance of its use... Read More
Rated of 5
by eliendriel Who Knew the Dictionary Could be So Much Fun? I read this book on a whim, and could not put it down. If you liked the style of "Manhunt," or "Devil in the White City," then you'll love this book. The author takes the historical development of the Oxford English Dictionary, focuses the... Read More
Rated of 5
by CHizy the professor and the mad man This book sucks. it talks too much about stuff that is unrelated to the story of the two protagonists. there are times when it goes off topic so far that the reader forgets what the main point or the plot is. I do not recommend this book to... Read More
Rated of 5
by Mike H
An excellently written account of the making of the OED and the lives of Dr. Murray and Dr. Minor. Some criticize the book for being too simple at times, overly-exaggerated, or boring. However, a book about the dictionary and the characters... Read More
A brilliantly conceived and illuminating reconsideration of a key period in the life of Ernest Hemingway that will forever change the way he is perceived and understood.
Erik Larson's gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.
These are 2 of the 5 readalike suggestions for The Professor and the Madman. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
read more
U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
Full Story
London Times
of 5
by Elizabeth
of 5
by Sam
of 5
by Millie
of 5
by CHizy
Write your own review!
