The Professor and the Madman

An easy and quick read about one of the founding books of our society.

This has become my go-to dictionary. I ordered it (large 2-volume set w/ magnifier) when I was 2/3 of the way through the book. I can sometimes spot the entries which are likely from the original effort to compile the OED, and for "ablation," identify the likely author of the entry. I had to order the dictionary after reading most of the book. The book stands on its own. Hard to imagine a bio-historical work about the writing/compiling of a dictionary, a project which took well over 8 years, as a page-turner. This one is. I've ordered several for friends already.

If you've ever used the OED you'll be fascinated by this account of its creation, from concept to realization. The long-term collaboration between James Murray in Oxford and Dr. William Minor, a well-to-do American incarcerated in Broadmoor, is one important part of the story, but not the whole thing. The OED project was a monumental undertaking orchestrated by Murray but with the help of many others in a huge collaboration over a period of many years. And now it's accessible online!

Subject matter was interesting and thought provoking. The writing style was a little off for me and at times a tad dry. Overall the book is worth the read. Fascinating to think of the effort required to produce a dictionary and the amazing effect of such work.

Truth is greater then any fiction-one of the great reads of all time.

Good read

I've read hundreds and hundreds of books, but this one is in the top three on my list....don't start it late at night because you won't be able to put it down to sleep...enjoy it !

Already read it. Bought it for a friend.