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

One of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters was the creation of the Oxford English dictionary. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story. Professor James Murray was the distinguished editor of the OED project. Dr. William Chester Minor, an American surgeon who had served in the Civil War, was one of many contributors to the dictionary, sending thousands of neat, hand-written quotations from his home. On numerous occasions Murray invited Minor to visit Oxford and celebrate his work, but Murray's offer was regularly, mysteriously, refused. Finally, a puzzled Murray set out to visit him. It was then that he learned the truth about Minor... that, in addition to being a masterly wordsmith, he was also a murderer -- locked up in England's harshest asylum for criminal lunatics. With riveting insight and detail, Simon Winchester delivers a fascinating glimpse into one man's tortured mind and his contribution to another man's magnificent dictionary. This audiobook also includes an interview between Simon Winchester and John Simpson, editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.