The professor and the madman
a tale of murder, insanity, and the making of the Oxford English dictionary
by Simon Winchester
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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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Biography, Biography & Autobiography, Encyclopedias and dictionaries, English language, Etymology, Friends and associates, History, History and criticism, Lexicographers, Lexicography, New English dictionary on historical principles, Nonfiction, Oxford English dictionary, Psychiatric hospital patients, United States Civil War, 1861-1865, Veterans, Lexicographes, Anglais (Langue), Encyclopédies et dictionnaires anglais, Lexicographie, Amis et relations, Anciens combattants, Patients dans les hôpitaux psychiatriques, Histoire, Histoire et critique, Biographies, Étymologie, American Civil War (1861-1865) fast (OCoLC)fst01351658, Friendship, Encyclopedias and dictionaries, history and criticism, English language, etymology, English language, lexicography, Mentally ill, biography, United states, history, civil war, 1861-1865, biography, Large type books, Patients des hôpitaux psychiatriquesShowing 10 featured editions. View all 10 editions?
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Includes bibliographical references (p. [239]-242).
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