Saturday, June 10, 2017

The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

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