"The Professor & the Madman"

Posted by Bob July 10, 2001In reply to "The Professor & the Madman" posted by R. Berg on July 10, 2001

I am sure most of you fellow wordsmyths have read this already but if not then please get it now.

The full title is "The Professor & the Madman: Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary" by Simon Winchester.

When the creators of the OED put out a call to "men of letters" for contributions, one of the major contributors was a very mad American Army surgeon who was a patient in the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

Its an easy read about 250 pages or so and the style of writing and choice of words is like feasting at a banquet with all the trimmings and topped off with a sundae with a cherry on top.

Enjoy it!

Those who haven't time for a banquet can view a briefer account of the same episode at
www.oed.com/ public/news/9806.htm#WCMinor
This is just an appetizer.

It was indeed a fun read for logophiles and other madmen.