The professor and the madman, is an interesting biographical segment of professor James Murray and Dr W C Minor as it relates to their efforts on the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Written as two biographies (Murray and Minor) the author alternates between their life stories until the point of intersection - the making of the OED and each of their's active role in its creation. A realtively short and easy read - good, not great. ( )

Winchester is brilliant. He tells a story that is hard to believe and utterly fascinating. I have enjoyed all the Winchester books that I have read but this was the most interesting. ( )

I thought this book was interesting, but I also thought it was a bit anti-climactic. After reading the synopsis, I think I expected it to be a bit more exciting and event driven than a book about the story of the making of a dictionary might ordinarily be expected to be. Still, I would recommend this to people who enjoy words and their history. ( )

The book was really interesting, and I enjoyed it a lot, even if there were a few Horrid Details in it that didn't have to be so well described! ( )

Is this a movie? If it isn't, it should be. They say that truth is stranger than fiction and I agree. Dr. W.C. Minor was a brilliant American doctor who was found legally insane after committing murder. During his confinement in a mental institute in London, Minor embarked on a quest to help Professor James Murray compile submissions for the Oxford English Dictionary. His astounding contribution led Professor Murray to seek out Dr. Minor, learn of his confinement in an asylum for the criminally insane, and despite all that, become the closest of friends.

The story itself appears benign. Dr. Minor's mental illness consists mostly of hallucinations and the paranoia that certain people were "messing with him." As a result nothing could prepare me for the moment when Dr. Minor decided on December 3rd, 1902 to cut off his own penis (a procedure called autopeotomy). "In his delusional world he felt he had no alternative but to remove it. He was a doctor, of course, and so knew roughly what he was doing" (p 193). What the ??? It's this tongue-in-cheek writing that makes The Professor and the Madman so much fun to read. ( )