"The Professor & the Madman"
Posted by Bob on July 10, 2001
In 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.