Simon Winchester
read this book some years ago now whilst staying with friends in Germany, The book is so fascinating that I have never forgotten it and, eventually wished to renew my acquaintance with the detail once again.
Sure enough, I was as transfixed with it as I was the first time, A tale of tragedy incorporated with the enormous task of putting together our very first Oxford English Dictionary, There had been other dictionaries before of course, but this proved to be the definitive, Simon Winchester is a 'past master' of research and story telling that makes you keep turning pages until well in to the late evening.
Derrick Orton Great book! Was recommended to me and a very engaging read, I loved the feel of this publication, it felt lovely in my hands, I want all books to feel like this! Maybe because it was published abroadI had never heard of the story before so I was quite surprised it was not well known, so interesting! Worth reading! A New York Times Notable BookThe Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionaryand literary history.
The making of the OED was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken, As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr, W. C. Minor, had submitted than ten thousand, But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him, For Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane, Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman is the linguistic detective story of the decade, William Safire, New York Times MagazineThis P, S. edition features an extrapages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and, Fantastic true storysuperbly written. The Professor and the Madman tells the story of Dr W, C. Minor, a Victorian murderer who became one of the most important contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary, posting his work to the editor of that dictionary from his cells in Broadmoor.
Minor was spared the noose after the court had decided rightly that he was insane, Winchester's book has been criticised on two grounds, First, that the basic story is rather thin for book length treatment and has been extended by means of background material, ornate physical descriptions and so on.
Second, that the boundary between fact and fiction is not clear, As for the first charge, it's true that the story is developed at a slow and careful pace, but the background material is compelling.
Thus we learn about the enlightened treatment of the insane in the English criminal justice system, the brutal punishments in use in the American Civil War including branding, the history of dictionary making, the categorisation of mental illness.
On the charge of fictionalisation, Winchester should I think be acquitted for example he rejects the attractive but untrue tale that the editor of the OED, James Murray, only found out about Minor's situation when he went to visit him at Broadmoor.
Where Winchester is speculating, as for example on the question of what triggered Minor's insanity, this is made clear, The audiobook consists of an unabridged reading by Winchester himself, It is in general very well done, Perhaps it was a mistake to attempt a Scottish accent when recounting the words of James Murray Winchester's effort at Border Scots is not much better than Dick van Dyke's characterisation of the
cockney.
But the normal reading voice is a pleasant Oxford English, An interesting true story well told, Though there were some strangenesses in my edition, like phrases repeated on two close pages with only slight changes in wording, And it was a bit inhuman of Winchester to say we should be grateful for the tragedy of the murdered and the murderer else the OED would have been less good.
I'm not willing to sacrifice two lives for a dictionary On ne s'imagine pas qu'un livre sur la manière de fabriquer un dictionnaire puisse être aussi merveilleux et passionnant.
On ne regardera plus jamais le "English Oxford Dictionnary" avec les mêmes yeux après cette lecture!
Sure enough, I was as transfixed with it as I was the first time, A tale of tragedy incorporated with the enormous task of putting together our very first Oxford English Dictionary, There had been other dictionaries before of course, but this proved to be the definitive, Simon Winchester is a 'past master' of research and story telling that makes you keep turning pages until well in to the late evening.
Derrick Orton Great book! Was recommended to me and a very engaging read, I loved the feel of this publication, it felt lovely in my hands, I want all books to feel like this! Maybe because it was published abroadI had never heard of the story before so I was quite surprised it was not well known, so interesting! Worth reading! A New York Times Notable BookThe Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionaryand literary history.
The making of the OED was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken, As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr, W. C. Minor, had submitted than ten thousand, But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him, For Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane, Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman is the linguistic detective story of the decade, William Safire, New York Times MagazineThis P, S. edition features an extrapages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and, Fantastic true storysuperbly written. The Professor and the Madman tells the story of Dr W, C. Minor, a Victorian murderer who became one of the most important contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary, posting his work to the editor of that dictionary from his cells in Broadmoor.
Minor was spared the noose after the court had decided rightly that he was insane, Winchester's book has been criticised on two grounds, First, that the basic story is rather thin for book length treatment and has been extended by means of background material, ornate physical descriptions and so on.
Second, that the boundary between fact and fiction is not clear, As for the first charge, it's true that the story is developed at a slow and careful pace, but the background material is compelling.
Thus we learn about the enlightened treatment of the insane in the English criminal justice system, the brutal punishments in use in the American Civil War including branding, the history of dictionary making, the categorisation of mental illness.
On the charge of fictionalisation, Winchester should I think be acquitted for example he rejects the attractive but untrue tale that the editor of the OED, James Murray, only found out about Minor's situation when he went to visit him at Broadmoor.
Where Winchester is speculating, as for example on the question of what triggered Minor's insanity, this is made clear, The audiobook consists of an unabridged reading by Winchester himself, It is in general very well done, Perhaps it was a mistake to attempt a Scottish accent when recounting the words of James Murray Winchester's effort at Border Scots is not much better than Dick van Dyke's characterisation of the
cockney.
But the normal reading voice is a pleasant Oxford English, An interesting true story well told, Though there were some strangenesses in my edition, like phrases repeated on two close pages with only slight changes in wording, And it was a bit inhuman of Winchester to say we should be grateful for the tragedy of the murdered and the murderer else the OED would have been less good.
I'm not willing to sacrifice two lives for a dictionary On ne s'imagine pas qu'un livre sur la manière de fabriquer un dictionnaire puisse être aussi merveilleux et passionnant.
On ne regardera plus jamais le "English Oxford Dictionnary" avec les mêmes yeux après cette lecture!
Simon Winchester studied geology at Oxford and has written for Condé Nast Traveler, Smithsonian, and National Geographic.
Simon Winchesters many books include The Professor and the Madman The Map that Changed the World Krakatoa and A Crack in the Edge of the World.
Each of these have both been New York Times bestsellers and appeared on numerous best and notable lists, Mr. Winchester was made Officer of the Order of the British Empire OBE by HM The Queen in, He lives in Massachusetts and in the Western Isles of Scotland,