The Surgeon of Crowthorne : A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Oxford English Dictionary

Regular price $12.87
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Capturing the essence of the book in 8 words: Murder, madness, and the Oxford English Dictionary.

"The Surgeon of Crowthorne" could be a good read for those interested in the history of the English language, as well as true crime enthusiasts. The book's most unique and distinctive feature is the unlikely story of how a convicted murderer ended up being one of the most important volunteers in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Readers will be intrigued by the strange and fascinating life of W C Minor, as well as the incredible effort it took to compile the dictionary over the course of 50 years.

The Surgeon of Crowthorne : A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Oxford English Dictionary

Regular price $12.87
Unit price
per
ISBN: 9780140271287
Estimated First-hand Retail Price: $22.01
Authors: Simon Winchester
Publisher: Penguin
Date of Publication: 1999-01-01
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: History, Biographies & Memoirs
Goodreads rating: 3.84
(rated by 116442 readers)

Description

The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary -- and literary history. The compilation of the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.
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Capturing the essence of the book in 8 words: Murder, madness, and the Oxford English Dictionary.

"The Surgeon of Crowthorne" could be a good read for those interested in the history of the English language, as well as true crime enthusiasts. The book's most unique and distinctive feature is the unlikely story of how a convicted murderer ended up being one of the most important volunteers in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Readers will be intrigued by the strange and fascinating life of W C Minor, as well as the incredible effort it took to compile the dictionary over the course of 50 years.