The Professor and the Madman

By: Simon Winchester

Narrated by: Simon Winchester

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Hidden within the rituals of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary is a fascinating mystery. 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 the most prolific contributors to the dictionary, sending thousands of neat, hand-written quotations from his home. After numerous refusals from Minor to visit his home in Oxford, Murray set out to find him. It was then that Murray would finally learn the truth about Minor - that, in addition to being a masterly wordsmith, he was also an insane murderer locked up in Broadmoor, England's harshest asylum for criminal lunatics. The Professor and the Madman is the unforgettable story of the madness and genius that contributed to one of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters.

©1998 Simon Winchester (P)1999 HarperCollins Publishers Inc., All Rights Reserved, Harper Audio, A Division of HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"The linguistic detective story of the decade." (New York Times Magazine)

Fascinating

Makes me want to look at the Oxford English dictionary and be a contributor. Very interesting story about a very arcane business. The narration was excellent.

amazing

amazing story. I watched the movie which was good, but nowhere near as good as the book.

Fascinating

Found the store very interesting. Never knew how a dictionary was created historically and currently. Adds a whole new meaning to learning a word’s origin and meaning.
The added intrigue of Dr. Minor transform the history to almost a novel. The descriptions of Dr. Minor’s act of insanity were so vivid that I often had to pause to regain my composure and focus.
Mature, English speaking students should be encouraged to read this book.

Interesting read

I really didn't know what to expect. Whatever I expected it wasn't what was delivered. This was much more fascinating

Frustratingly Amazing for a Road Trip

I am typically a comfort-reader, treading and retreading the well-worn paths of books I already know I will enjoy. Audiobooks add an additional opportunity for rejection as I sometimes find myself in vehement disagreement with the reader's characterization or choice of emphasis. Given a LENGTHY drive and Audible's earlier 2-for-1 sale, I had an untried non-fiction and little to lose.

The hours have melted away. Read by the author, I both am not ALLOWED to disagree with his choice of emphasis, I REALLY do enjoy him. The subject material was both far broader and more deeply fascinating than anticipated. I have learned absolute LOADS about the history of dictionaries, how to edit a word for inclusion in a comprehensive list of everything, the politics of Civil War medical officer promotions, the temperament and motivations of Irish recruits into the Union, and WAY MORE.

I listened raptly through the book, afterwards, author note, acknowledgements, and the surprise interview between the author and the (then?) current editor of the OED. I can't possibly recommend this enough and I immediately want another, which I can't get because I'm in a car. Take a chance with this. Do.

Interesting story, but not a fan of the writing.

I had never heard any part of the writing of the Oxford English dictionary prior to listening to this book. Wow, what an interesting story! The authors writing of the story left something to be desired. He comes across very pompous and arrogant and his interview at the end was almost insufferable to listen to. This is one time I would definitely recommend the text version of the book over the audio.

Sad yet Serendipitous and very interesting

The research which went into this book brings a sense of appreciation for such a worthy effort. This is a fascinating and extremely well told story which could otherwise slide into obscurity. Highly recommended.

Great historical book!

Great historical and instance of unsanities book. Wonderful read. Now Im ready to read the OED.

Word Enthusiast's Story

I found the subject of the story interesting. It was , however, for the most part, dry and at times a boring. The most interesting part , for me, was about the madman. I wondered if modern day medicine would have been a help to Dr. Miner.

Brilliant

Wonderful narration by the author, extraordinarily interesting, well-told story in terms of the people, as well as the history of the Oxford English Dictionary.