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Book Review of The Professor & the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity & the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

The Professor & the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity & the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Chocoholic avatar reviewed on + 291 more book reviews


This book lingered on my bookshelf for years because frankly, I was afraid it was going to be boring. I need not have worried; this book captured my attention and held it for all 242 pages and dare I say it: left me wanting more. The book is at its heart the story of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) but it's also a story about a murder, a civil war veteran who is psychotic, and a scholar who just needed some help in writing this huge book. The story covers about 80 or more years of history, both American and British, specifically as it relates to Oxford University. The author makes the story come alive and be interesting without being dull.