Dr. Minor |
Simon Winchester
4/5 stars
This book follows the lives of two men influential in the preparation of the Oxford English Dictionary: Dr. W. C. Minor and Professor James Murray. Dr. Minor, convicted of murder and sentenced to a life long stay in an institution for the criminally insane, became a volunteer for Professor Murray as Murray oversaw the creation of the OED. Winchester tells the life stories of both men, a brief history of lexicography, and an also brief account of the making of the OED. This is a fascinating tale, highly readable and generally entertaining.