Although I'd never wondered how the OED was first produced, I found this story fascinating! This book tells how, in an age when few dictionary's were available, Professor James Murray organized the project of collecting English words, their various uses, histories, and quotations, and organized them into a series of twelve volumes known as the Oxford English Dictionary. The contributions of Dr. W.C. Minor to the project are considerable. It is only after years of collaboration via post that Dr. Murray finds out that one of his best "readers" is incarcerated in an asylum for the criminally insane.

The book is read by the author, and is unabridged on 6 CDs (7 1/2 hours).

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