• The Surgeon of Crowthorne

  • The Murder, Mystery and Madness of the Oxford English Dictionary
  • By: Simon Winchester
  • Narrated by: Simon Winchester
  • Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (5 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Surgeon of Crowthorne  By  cover art

The Surgeon of Crowthorne

By: Simon Winchester
Narrated by: Simon Winchester
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.73

Buy for $16.73

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

The compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary was a monumental task. It took 50 years, even with the help of numerous contributors. Among the most prolific was William Chester Minor, who sent editor James Murray thousands of extracts.

On many occasions, Murray invited this mysterious correspondent to Oxford, but the invitation was always declined. Finally stirred by curiosity, Murray himself went to visit Minor. What he found was shocking: Minor lived in Broadmoor asylum. He was a millionaire, an expert on the English language, and a qualified surgeon, but he was imprisoned as a lunatic for murder.

©1998 Simon Winchester (P)2005 W. F. Howes Ltd

What listeners say about The Surgeon of Crowthorne

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

I really tried.

Couldn't finish it - it is just so dry. The research is incredible but it is just a collection of dates, names, and places. All the characters are well-to-do, educated men, so it's just a bunch of poshos writing back and forth to each other.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!