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

published	August 1999 by Harper Perennial
first published	1998
binding	Paperback
isbn	006099486X (isbn13: 9780060994860)
ebook
pages	272
literary awards	1998 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
description	When the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary put out a call during the late 19th century pleading for "men of letters" to provid...more [close] When the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary put out a call during the late 19th century pleading for "men of letters" to provide help with their mammoth undertaking, hundreds of responses came forth. Some helpers, like Dr. W.C. Minor, provided literally thousands of entries to the editors. But Minor, an American expatriate in England and a Civil War veteran, was actually a certified lunatic who turned in his dictionary entries from the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Simon Winchester has produced a mesmerizing coda to the deeply troubled Minor's life, a life that in one sense began with the senseless murder of an innocent British brewery worker that the deluded Minor believed was an assassin sent by one of his numerous "enemies." Winchester also paints a rich portrait of the OED's leading light, Professor James Murray, who spent more than 40 years of his life on a project he would not see completed in his lifetime. Winchester traces the origins of the drive to create a "Big Dictionary" down through Murray and far back into the past; the result is a fascinating compact history of the English language (albeit admittedly more interesting to linguistics enthusiasts than historians or true crime buffs). That Murray and Minor, whose lives took such wildly disparate turns yet were united in their fierce love of language, were able to view one another as peers and foster a warm friendship is just one of the delicately turned subplots of this compelling book. --Tjames Madison [close]
date added	03-30-07 edit book

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Helen added it (review of isbn 0140271287)

01/30/08

bookshelves: history

"For 'Crowthorne' read 'Broadmoor' - a name that may not mean much to the non-British, but is surely known to nearly everyone in the UK as the title of a famous Hospital, once known as Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, which was - and is - situated in the Berkshire village of Crowthorne.[return]This is a well-written, non-fictional account of what is described rather luridly on the front cover as 'a tale of murder, madness and the Oxford English Dictionary'. Our two protagonists are Dr Jam...more "For 'Crowthorne' read 'Broadmoor' - a name that may not mean much to the non-British, but is surely known to nearly everyone in the UK as the title of a famous Hospital, once known as Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, which was - and is - situated in the Berkshire village of Crowthorne.[return]This is a well-written, non-fictional account of what is described rather luridly on the front cover as 'a tale of murder, madness and the Oxford English Dictionary'. Our two protagonists are Dr James Murray, editor of the OED, and William Minor, an American who worked as a surgeon during harrowing conditions in the American Civil War. He came to England having been discharged from an asylum where he had been confined suffering from monomania.[return][return]His story is interwoven with that of Murray, who took over editorship of the Big Dictionary, as it was originally called. Winchester provides a brief but interesting history of the genesis of the English Dictionary, from the first rather primitive lists of words, to Dr Johnson's famous (but flawed) dictionary. It is the 'Big Dictionary' - which became the OED - that was of course to be the apex in the lexicographer's art.[return][return]When the Big Dictionary was first conceived, it was decided to issue a circular, calling for volunteer readers who would provide the editors of the dictionary with lists of words to be included, with supporting quotations demonstrating shades of meaning and earliest uses. In his hospital cell, Dr William Minor read a copy of the circular. He had been found 'not guilty on the grounds of insanity' of the murder of George Merrett - a man he'd never met before and had no personal grudge against. Although this meant he escaped prison, it did mean he was likely to spend the rest of his life locked up.[return][return]Minor was a voracious reader. Books were his passion. He also had plenty of time on his hands, and the kind of brain which enjoyed the rather finicky work of picking words out of books he read and listing them together with page references. Although well-read and, it seems, perfectly reasonable for most of the time, he remained subject to night-time delusions. The words 'Broadmoor' and 'asylum' are loaded with negative associations, but it appears that Minor was pretty content with his lot. He had two rooms to himself - to some extent due to the fact that he was wealthy, and a qualified doctor - and he had no great desire to return to America. He regarded the hospital as his home, 'and the attendants as his family'. He even wrote to the widow of his victim, Eliza Merrett, expressing his remorse. They met several times and, although a friendship would have been too much to hope for, the meetings appear to have been mutually polite and respectful.[return][return]Minor also met Murray, with whom he regularly corresponded, many times. Both enjoyed what in less formal times might have been a true friendship. For Minor, the story ends on a sobering note. He lived to a ripe old age, and spent the last years of his life in America. But his condition was considered untreatable, and he lived with his demons until he died, almost blind, his death unremarked. A poignant end to what had been a sad - though not wasted - life.[return][return]I'm sure this book would appeal to anyone who enjoyed the BBC series 'Balderdash and Piffle', as well as to those interested in the history of treatment of the mentally ill. Very sensitively written, the account is dedicated to George Merrett, whose life was cut short by Minor's random act of madness. [July 2006]"...less

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Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

11/04/07

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: language geeks

I absolutely loved this book. The fundamental story was really interesting and consistently kept me excited about reading the next page. It is basically about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and specifically two of the key players in that venture: James Murray (the Scottish editor working in England) and W. C. Minor (the American contributor living in an English insane asylum). It doesn't pretend to tell the full story of the OED, but it does give a really good feel for what ...more I absolutely loved this book. The fundamental story was really interesting and consistently kept me excited about reading the next page. It is basically about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) and specifically two of the key players in that venture: James Murray (the Scottish editor working in England) and W. C. Minor (the American contributor living in an English insane asylum). It doesn't pretend to tell the full story of the OED, but it does give a really good feel for what the project was really like. Not easy. There were several things that made the story so engaging.

One of the things I really liked about the story that's a little odd is that I felt it resonates quite a bit with modern project management issues. Initial estimates on the size of the project, including both the literal size of the published work (number of books), the amount of time required to accomplish it, and the number of people needed to carry it out were woefully low. The project grew and grew and grew, taking about 70 years in total. This is so like project estimation (especially in software projects) nowadays, and this amused me. But it also reminded me that estimation in an unknown domain is actually really hard. One more project-related point of interest is that the OED creation was basically a big open-source project, just like a lot of current software like Linux and so on. There were some core employees working in Oxford, but the bulk of the work was done by volunteer contributors who were distributed all over the UK and the US. This is just cool. It did lead to some kind of funny problems: Murray had to deal with some confused contributors, who didn't grasp the magnitude of the work they were to be doing and would send frustrating letters, for instance.

There were several other small things that were cool. I enjoyed the basic history of dictionaries in English (reminding us that some languages, like Czech, don't actually have single-language dictionaries)--this came partially out of the colonial idea that English was a pure and natural candidate to be the world's language. I also enjoyed Winchester's description of Minor's time in the Civil War, as he does a pretty good job of evoking the right feel in relatively small space. Finally, there are words and full definitions peppered throughout, and of course these were enjoyable....less

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Skylar rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

01/04/08

bookshelves: biography, history, nonfiction

This book--part true crime, part literary history, part human interest story—-was difficult to put down. It tells the story of two of the personalities behind the making of The Oxford English Dictionary. One, the professor James Murray, was the editor of the tome. The other, Dr. W.C. Minor, was a major contributor to The OED, a former American army surgeon, and a raving lunatic. The Professor and the Madman also narrates the process of compiling The OED and throws in some fascinating etymol...more This book--part true crime, part literary history, part human interest story—-was difficult to put down. It tells the story of two of the personalities behind the making of The Oxford English Dictionary. One, the professor James Murray, was the editor of the tome. The other, Dr. W.C. Minor, was a major contributor to The OED, a former American army surgeon, and a raving lunatic. The Professor and the Madman also narrates the process of compiling The OED and throws in some fascinating etymology. This more “academic” portion of the work is written modestly enough that it should interest even those with only a passing curiosity for the English language. The chapter headings, which contain definitions of words appropriate to the chapter’s content, are an interesting touch.

Winchester is an able if not a masterful writer. There is nothing complex or poetic or particularly profound in his narrative, but he tells a fascinating story and captures the reader’s interest. I will offer two critiques, however, both of which relate to the author’s unskilled method of foreshadowing. Winchester would occasionally drop a hint that leaves the reader hanging, which is fine, if the reader has some concept that his whetted appetite will eventually be satisfied. But after dropping these hints the author would move on as though he had simply forgotten about them, leaving the reader little idea that he planned to reveal all later. (One such example is when the author mentions that only one word was ever lost from the OED. The reader immediately thinks in frustration, “What word?” But Winchester continues his narrative as if he has no intention of revealing the secret. Much later in the book the author mentions the fact again, and this time he reveals the word, after the reader has already given up hope of learning it.) Secondly, this inexpert foreshadowing also tends to obscure the chronology of the story from time to time. Despite these minor frustrations, however, the book is an excellent read.

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Anne rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

05/14/07

bookshelves: nonfiction

Read in February, 2007

recommends it for: linguists, historians

The Professor and the Madman focused on two men who were strongly involved in the editing of the OED: James Murray (the professor) and Dr. William Chester Minor (the madman). The vast undertaking of creating the OED simply amazed me. Before 1857 (when the idea was first suggested), there was no all-encompassing English dictionary. Or at least, not a dictionary like we think of today. The OED editors set out to catalog, define, p...more

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Tippi rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

12/09/07

Read in December, 2007

recommends it for: history buffs, philologists

It took me two tries to get into this book, but I'm so glad I gave it another shot.

The Professor and the Madman (Simon Winchester) is about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary, a project which took some 70-odd years. First of all, I have a new appreciation for dictionaries, as this task was absolutely enormous. The editors called for readers in England, America, and all the old colonies to submit quotations from books published between the 15th and 18th centuries in order to find the...more

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Matthew rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

04/22/08

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Matthew by: My Father, two co-workers
recommends it for: amateur etomologists

This book was pretty good but not all I'd hoped it would be. Its sub-title gives the impression of an altogether more outrageous story than what actually happened. Being a history book I understand the limits the author faces when dealing with unalterable material. He does his best to make the story as exciting and unseemly as he can, but ultimately his efforts fall a little flat. To be sure there are elements of this story that do lend themselves to an air of depravity. Much of the narrative ta...more

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Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

05/26/08

bookshelves: history, non-fiction

Read in May, 2008

I've been wanting to read this for the past few years, but never quite got around to picking it up at the library until this past week. While interesting, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

The underlying story is a fascinating one: no undertaking as massive as the OED could occur without enough interesting anecdotes and even more interesting people to populate a book three times as long as Winchester's. And it's clear a great deal of detailed research went into this book. I certainl...more

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Todd rated it:

11/18/07

Read in November, 2007

Much like /Stiff/, the last book to which I have a 3, I feel a bit uneven about rating this book. I enjoyed it, on the whole. The story is a good one, the research is impressive, and it managed to raise my already very high esteem for the OED.

However, I was never really wowed. One reason is that the writing, on the level of individual sentences, is not all that impressive. Also, Winchester has a tendency to repeat himself, both on a single page (when he belabors a point, such as the over-lon...more

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Katie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

04/17/07

Read in April, 2007

recommends it for: linguists, students, historians, dictionary fanatics

Wow, I don't normally read this kind of literature. I have to admit I am a hardcore classic fiction junkie. So a historically accurate and well researched piece is a little out of my genre. BUT I love this book. I have heard ALL about the OED in my days as an English student/major and eventually teacher ( crosses fingers). And the creation of a dictionary seems like such a ridiculously impossible task.. but alas it happened!

The book is mainly about two men Minor ( the madman) and Murray ( th...more

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Megan rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

01/03/08

Read in September, 1997

This was a really great recounting of the making of the first English dictionary. Sound dry? Hardly... The making itself took over one hundred years to accomplish, but the real story is about one of the contributors. Requests were sent out to people to find words in print, send in the example of how it is used so the editor could determine it's definition. The Professor leading the editing received tens of thousands of entries from one person. Curiosity piqued and he finally insisted on meeting ...more

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Casey rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

01/08/08

Read in December, 2007

If you like etymology, you should read "The Professor and the Madman." Etymology, the study of how words and language change over time, is not to be confused with epididymitis. Which occurs when a man's epididymis, the gummy tissue that connects the vas deferens to the testis, becomes inflamed and creates a relentless dull pain. I dabble in hypochondria from time to time and that fateful afternoon was no exception. Upon waking up with swollen testicles, I spent the better part of half...more

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Kenneth rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

07/30/07

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: lexicographers

I did not enjoy reading this book. While I am prone to using the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) time to time, I have never haboured a deep interest in what went into making it. I've said it before, this book was simply read by the wrong person (me).

The narrative telling of the lifes of Dr. Minor and Dr. Murray (heavy on the former) is very long and not all to the point. Simon Winchester is a well learned man whom put a lot of research into this book, and for that, the reader is treated to l...more

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Melissa rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

06/30/08

Read in July, 2007

Another book that doesn't seem to have been quite sure what it is. It opens with the story of a murder and the subsequent conviction of a doctor who seemed to otherwise be an upstanding citizen. This same doctor, who spent the rest of his life under various degrees of psychiatric observation, was also a "lay scholar" responsible for a good deal of research on the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary.

The book tries to divide itself between the history and making of the OED...more

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Jennie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

03/21/08

Read in March, 2008

it never even occured to me to wonder how the oxford english dictionary (or any dictionary) came to be, but this book tells the story. i didn't realize that even the concept of an english dictionary is really only a few hundred years old: in fact, shakespeare wrote his entire body of work without one, as none existed at the time! the book bounces back and forth and covers a lot of ground, trying to give the whole story on all of the people who were responsible for creating the OED. it was a m...more

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Katie rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

07/08/08

Read in July, 2008

This book is written in a very disjointed manner and relies heavily on sensationalism and wild conjecture. While the description of the tedious process of creating the Oxford English Dictionary was quite interesting, the book largely focused on the life of William Minor, the so called "mad" contributor to the project. The appeal of the book relies heavily on our culture's stigmatization and morbid fascination of mental illness and, in doing so, does not treat Minor with the respect t...more

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Sara rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

05/22/08

Read in May, 2008

William Chester Minor, of one of the oldest and best regarded families of New England, a Yale graduate and Civil War surgeon, loses his mind and ends up in Lambeth (of London) which is "even today... a singularly unlovely part of the British capital". He kills a passerby in a delusional episode and spends most of the rest of his life in an asylum in Broadmoor. His superintendent allows him use of two rooms, rather than the usual one, and while he is collecting books for his small lib...more

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Jan rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

11/21/07

Read in September, 2007

This book is about the making of the colossal Oxford English Dictionary with focus on one of its editors and one of its main contributors, an American doctor who worked from the mental asylum in which he was incarcerated.

The story is presented in a historical way, mainly because of the acute detail with which Simon Winchester, the author, describes the scenes. The events are often backed up by historical documents and correspondance that are testament to the author's painstaking researc...more

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Donna rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

05/27/08

bookshelves: biography

Read in May, 2008

Madness and other people's obsessions (which are often synonymous) are always interesting. But what really intrigued me about this book was its structure and the way the author brought everything full circle.

The enigmatic dedication, for example--"To the memory of G.M."--is explained in the last pages. The Oxford English Dictionary--which virtually becomes a character in the story--provides both the trajectory of the tale and the epigraphs for each chapter and part of the bo...more

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Lesley rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

01/19/08

The OED and a lunatic asylum. I cannot at this moment think of a more delightful combination of topics.

Dictionaries are one of those things I don't think of as having been compiled originally by actual human beings. Sure, now there's the American Heritage Dictionary and Merriam-Webster but it's pretty clear they've simply rebound, under different covers, the past work of what I previously could only imagine was some sort of magically omniscient non-human entity. Like God or a magical centa...more

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Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 0060839783)

07/01/08

bookshelves: biography, nonfiction

Read in July, 2008

recommends it for: history buffs, fans of the OED, biography fans

It took me weeks to slog through this short book (237 pages, incl. the Acknowledgments section), but I'm glad I did. It's actually pretty interesting--a story of one of the main editors of the O.E.D. (Sir James Murray--a largely self-educated man) and one of the main contributors of words/quotations (Dr. William Minor--incarcerated in a British insane asylum for a murder he committed while suffering a paranoid delusion). The author does go off on enthusiastic side trips sometimes, and he's not...more

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

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