Customer Reviews

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (P.S.)

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I purchased this book while in London recently under its British title THE SURGEON OF CROWTHORNE. Apparently for American readers, the publishers felt it necessary to "tart up" the title to THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN. Regardless, Simon Winchester's story between the covers is splendidly told, without sensationalising even the most horrific details, revealed matter of factly well into the book. The story is that of Dr. Minor - an American Civil War surgeon - who went mad amid the horrors of "The Wilderness." Pursued by his nightly demons, he later wound up in grim South London where he shot dead a totally innocent man. Sent to Broadmoor - a sprawling lunatic asylum near London - he became one of the most valuable contributors to the compilation of the magisterial Oxford English Dictionary. Winchester recounts - correcting but not spoiling a wonderful story - the meeting between the OED's legendary James Murray and his reclusive contributor. While ultimately Dr Minor's story is a tragic one - not the least for his hapless victim - it is also a tribute to the persistence of the human mind. Cleverly presented with appropriate OED citings, this book is not to be missed for anyone interested in words. If you'll excuse the expression, this is the "definitive" work.

For those who love words and reference books, this is a well-told yarn. Being the story of the relationship between one William Minor, a doctor and convicted lunatic suffering from paranoia, and James Murray, editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, there is much more right with the book than wrong, but it does have some problems, primarily the lack of an index. Any book with so many names should have an index.

Secondly, one wishes to see and hear more -- the author refers to several interesting photographs: a formal farewell photo of Minor near the end of his life, returning to America after 37 years in England (all but one spent in Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane); the last photo of Murray, a fortnight before his death, in the Scriptorium (where the OED was compiled) surrounded by his daughters and staff. It would have been nice to see these pictures. The author refers several times to Minor's handwriting and many times to his letters. It would have added to the story to see at least a few letters in full, and particularly to have seen a sample of Minor's writing. In addition, Winchester credits the motivation for the creation of the OED to an address by Richard Trench, in which Trench delineates seven ways that dictionaries of the time were deficient, but then states that "most of them are technical and should not concern us here"! I think people interested in this book *would* most likely be interested in these technical details. If nothing else, they should be put in a (foot)note.

Finally, although the tale is generally well told and an enjoyable read, the author occasionally hits a false note which a reader may find jarring; for instance, in describing Minor's post-trial delivery to the asylum, Winchester states that "the horses were sweating slightly as they hauled the four-wheel vehicle and its occupants up the low sandstone hill at the top of which stands Broadmoor itself." Oh really. Nice touch of drama, but disconcerting when so much else is related without imaginary flourishes. Similarly, Winchester conjectures that a hypothetical event may have led to Minor's autopeotomy, though there is no reason at all to believe such an event occurred.

Having listed these flaws, one is obligated also to acknowledge the author's successes. In addition to an engaging style in service to an interesting tale, there is a charming author's note, an acknowledgments section actually worth reading, and a touching dedication (fleshed out in the text) to G.M. -- George Merrett, Minor's murder victim, who left behind a pregnant wife with seven children and who rests in an unmarked grave.

I recommend the book. An example of fine historical writing, it humanizes a remarkable literary achievement. But it needs an (in' dex)!!

James Murray, the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, corresponded with Dr. W.C. Minor for many years; Dr. Minor was one of the most indefatigable contributors to the OED. Minor was committed to an Broadmoor asylum in 1872, having murdered an innocent man. Nowadays we would call him a paranoid schizophrenic; in those days they just called him insane.

In the asylum he had plenty of time to locate and submit thousands of usage slips to the OED, and thus began his relationship with Murray. It is an extraordinary relationship, and Winchester wrings every last drop of melodrama from it--to the point of irritating the reader.

For example, for many years there was a standard tale about the first meeting of Murray and Minor, in which Murray only finds out when he actually arrives at Broadmoor that Dr. Minor is not on the staff, but is an inmate. Winchester opens the book with the phrase "Popular myth has it that . . . " and proceeds to tell the tale; it is an engaging story, and he tells it well. However, halfway through the book he points out that it is false, and has been known to be so for several years. He does eventually give the true version of events, but dangling the attractive lie in front of the reader like this while delaying the less exciting truth is a sign of his weakness for sensationalism.

Another example (p. 195 in the paperback edition): after describing a particular gruesome episode of his madness, Winchester speculates for a whole page about a possible cause for which there is not even a hint of evidence--that Minor had an affair with the wife of the man he murdered. Winchester freely admits this is a complete fabrication, but includes it as "legitimate speculation"; to me, it feels more like tabloid journalism.

There's more of the same, but that's enough examples; I think part of the problem is that there is simply not much material here to work with. The basic facts are few, and Winchester had to embroider and imagine. It must be said, though, that where he *does* relate factual information, as opposed to speculation, the book is fascinating. The story truly is remarkable, and despite the style is very much worth reading. It's just a pity that Winchester felt unable to let the story speak for itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, mainly for learning about some of the key people and events behind one of the greatest undertakings in the English language. A lot of us today take the existence of the dictionary for granted, not realizing how it evolved from its first incarnations, or exactly what kind of work went into its preparation. Simon Winchester does a great job tracing the history of the dictionary to give frame of reference to his main story. The details of Dr. Minor's and James Murray's histories have been carefully researched and presented so as to thoroughly engage the reader. The only drawback I found is, despite the book's applaudable effort to dispel the myths surrounding Dr. Minor's involvement in the making of the OED, sometimes the writing style inadvertently falls into this same trap of myth-making. The words "lunatic" and "madman" are often used in the sensationalized sense the Victorians used them, thereby unnecessarily judging and glamorizing Dr. Minor's mental illness. Also, the defining incident at Lambeth is written as a Victorian thriller, complete with gas lamps, "bone-chilling cold" and a figure lurking in dark narrow streets. This extra air of mystery was not needed, as the real events are more than compelling enough to make you want to read more. All in all, though, an absorbing tale.

This is an extremely interesting story, so much so that you can see why anyone who heard about it would feel compelled to share it. But it's pretty slender and just barely worthy of a book length treatment. It seems like it would work better as a long magazine article or even as a novel and it will make a terrific movie.

In the latter portion of the 19th century, when James A. H. Murray faced the monumental task of compiling the initial version of the Oxford English Dictionary, he sent out a call for contributors. One of the most reliable and thorough volunteers proved to be Dr. William Chester Minor. But Minor resisted entreaties to visit the operations of the OED and to partake in the celebrations as volumes were completed. The reason for his reticence turned out to be his incarceration in Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

Minor, an American, was profoundly disturbed and a murderer to boot. After some disquieting years of service in a medical unit during the Civil War, he fixed upon an obsession that Irishmen wanted to kill him. His psychoses finally led him to gun down a complete stranger on a British street and he was institutionalized. He eventually spent about 50 of his over 80 years in some form of state care, where he was continually plagued by delusions that he was being spied upon and his food poisoned, and at one point he mutilated himself in a fashion which will have male readers cringing in horror. Meanwhile, his incarceration and his educational attainment made him uniquely well suited to contribute to the mammoth undertaking that was the OED.

Winchester does a creditable job of showing how two very different men were united by their love of language and learning. But, there are pretty obvious dramatic limitations to a true life story that involves one subject who's institutionalized and another who's writing a dictionary. Like I said, it's a pretty slim tale, but it is fascinating.

Simon Winchester answers this question with a story of violence, passion, tragedy, and sympathy. What more could you want in a story about a dictionary? I love books that shine with the author's enthusiasm for the subject. _The Professor and the Madman_ is just that type of book. Winchester obviously loves language and word origin. He gives the reader a look at etymology that is detailed enough to make you feel like a scholar, but selective enough so that you aren't overwhelmed with the rather dry science of language. But this is only the secondary plot. The main story, that of the obsession of the scholarly but homicidally deranged Dr. W.C. Minor, the focused and driven brilliance of Dr. James Murray, and the Oxford English Dictionary that brought them together is thrilling and tragic. Winchester does a great job of sharing with the reader the sadness and regret of Dr. Minor's amazing intellect trapped inside his deranged mind. If you've ever had a relative or friend succumb to Alzheimer's or another mental disease, you can understand the tragedy of such an intruguing person losing a battle with sanity. The story is so unique that it could only be true, and Winchester seems to have researched it thoroughly and accurately. I highly recommend it.

Okay, you can get the long-winded plot summaries from the other reviews here, but you won't get this: The Professor and the Madman is a book for practically anybody. I have a personal interest in the history of the English language, so I found the book especially fascinating, but the truth is, it has something for everybody. It's not just a tale of some convicted murderer who contributed a lot of quotes to the Oxford English Dictionary. It's a romantic and tragic story, about two misunderstood men--one trapped in an asylum with a wish to contribute something to the world, the other a highly respected, yet humble and intelligent scholar. The connection between them--as well as their individual stories--is mysterious and beautiful. If you enjoy true stories of profound and personal undertakings, or if you just like a good book about unusual and interesting subjects, then buy this. It is not padded or drawn out, as some less patient reviewers would have you believe; it is entertaining, informative, and well worth your while.

My "literary group" chose this as one of our books to discuss. Most of them were very disappointed by it, but I enjoyed it tremendously. Winchester tackled this true story in a unique way, telling us first about the separate lives of Dr. Minor (the madman) and James Murray (the professor), and then eventually weaving them together. Murray was one of the main editors of the Oxford English Dictionary, and Dr. Minor, originally a medical doctor for the U.S. Army, was one of the main volunteer contributors of definitions. As the unfortunate doctor was confined to a mental institution, such a project helped give him a reason for living.

One of the reasons I enjoyed this book is that for much of my early life I was in a mileau that included mental patients. My grandfather worked at a large mental hospital, and my mother grew up in a house in a small community on the hospital grounds. My childhood was thus full of fascinating stories about the patients. Then my mother became a nurse and administrator at another large mental hospital, and I'd often visit there, viewing the hospital as a vibrant although rather strange community. The story of Dr. Minor, then, seems straight out of my childhood.

Another fascinating aspect of this book for me is the history of the OED. Up until that time, dictionaries had been compiled by one man, e.g., Samuel Johnson, and with limited scope, e.g. "hard" or unusual words. The lexicographer who first envisioned the OED, Richard Trench, wanted it to be a record of *all* words, including the words' histories and changing usage, by citing published examples of how each word has been used with various nuances. Such a monumental undertaking, he knew, could not be performed by one or a few people, nor by academics alone. He thus proposed that it be a democratic venture, calling upon legions of volunteer readers and contributors. Winchester stresses how this honours the freedom of language, that hard and fast rules are not what is important about English, but that we all can be inventors and changers of this wonderful language.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone fascinated by language, and anyone interested in the potential of people who many be mentally ill.

After reading Simon Winchester's The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary, I was anxious to read his related book, The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary. What an incredible story! Although smaller in scope than The Meaning of Everything, The Professor and the Madman still details some of the key elements about the creation of the dictionary, along with an unlikely relationship that developed in its making.

The story of the Oxford English Dictionary is itself fascinating story. Taking almost 70 years to complete, the OED has become the gold standard of what a dictionary should be. But compiling the OED was no easy task. The editors decided that they wanted not only the spellings and meanings but also, the history of each word. When they realized what a gigantic task this was going to be, they recruited "hundreds and hundreds of unpaid volunteers." Their job was to comb through volumes of books, newspapers, magazines and journals to come up with various words and the sentences in which they appeared. At the time, Dr. James Murray was the editor of the OED, and this plea to the public brought him in contact with American, Dr. William Chester Minor. As Winchester states, the dictionary will be the starting point for the relationship between the two men that "would combine sublime scholarship, fierce tragedy, Victorian reserve, deep gratitude, mutual respect, and a slowly growing amity." This link would last until the death of James Murray thirty years later.

Dr. Minor was a brilliant man. Born and raised in Ceylon of American missionary parents, he was sent to Yale as a teen and graduated as a medical doctor. He enlisted in the army in 1863 and witnessed tragedy during the Battle of the Wilderness. Something inside his delicate mind seemed to snap, and he was never the same. Suffering from paranoia and delusions, he headed to London to make a fresh start. But while there, he murdered an innocent man. He was found not guilty but insane, and institutionalized in Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane. It was from here that he started sending Dr. Murray dozens and dozens of words for his new dictionary. But while most contributors sent smatterings of words, Dr. Minor harvested them and had them at the ready for when Dr. Murray needed them. At first, Murray thought Minor was on the staff at Broadmoor. It took a number of years before he finally discovered the truth. Still, Murray cultivated a relationship with Minor and began visiting him regularly. Minor ended up being one of the primary volunteer contributors to the OED.

Today, Minor would be diagnosed as a schizophrenic and doctors today have lots of medicines in their arsenals to help schizophrenics lead more normal lives. But back in the late 1800's, his malady was considered incurable. The irony is that if he had been treated today, he might not have worked as obsessively on the OED if he was prescribed antipsychotic drugs. In fact, he might not have been able to work at all. Working on the OED was his therapy. And when it ceased to be important, his life truly spiraled out of control.

Winchester is himself a wordsmith, and his writing is beautiful. When describing the rules set down for the dictionary, he writes "The English, who had raised eccentricity and poor organization to a high art, and placed the scatterbrain on a pedestal, loathed such Middle European things as rules, conventions, and dictatorships." He also writes about the meaning of words, "there should be sentences that show the twists and turns and meanings-the way almost every word slips in its silvery, fishlike way, weaving this way and that, adding subtleties of nuance to itself, and then shedding them as the public mood dictates." One nice touch is to include a vocabulary word and definition at the beginning of each chapter--one that is related to that chapter.

Simon Winchester is an incredibly talented writer, and The Professor and the Madman and The Meaning of Everything make for great companion books.

Simon Winchester's The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary is a charming and fascinating sidebar to one of the great works of scholarship in history. The Oxford English Dictionary took over 70 years to produce its first edition, and remains the definitive text on the historical development of the English language. It could not have been published without the unpaid efforts of over 800 dedicated volunteers - including Dr. William Minor, an American Army surgeon, incarcerated for almost 40 years in an English insane asylum for murdering a London brewery worker during an attack of a delusional paranoia that afflicted him his entire life.

The Professor and the Madman focuses on Minor's contribution to the work of Sir James Murray, the Scots genius who was the OED's first and greatest editor. Minor, when he wasn't being delusional, was a brilliant, assiduous reader, devoted to the English language and delighted to be part of the enormous project.

Winchester's book is a very quick read, and a delightful one. There are better books on Murray and the OED; but The Professor and the Madman gives a unique human insight into the enterprise, and the love of a language that inspired two such disparate individuals.

Anyone who loves to read and write will rightfully revere the OED and what it represents; also the enormous labors that went into its compilation. The Professor and the Madman is but a footnote to the history of that effort; but it is a lovely little footnote.