A New York Times Notable Book The Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness
genius and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the
Oxford English Dictionary--and literary history. The making of the OED was one of the most
ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected the overseeing committee
led by Professor James Murray was stunned to discover that one man Dr. W. C. Minor had
submitted more than ten thousand. But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were
about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him. For Dr. Minor an American Civil
War veteran was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane. Masterfully researched
and eloquently written The Professor and the Madman is the linguistic detective story of the
decade. (William Safire New York Times Magazine) This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages
of insights into the book including author interviews recommended reading and more.
