Book Review: The Professor and the Madman

I've been longing to read this book, The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, by Simon Winchester. I have fond memories of using the OED in my job at the Wade Center (the collected writings of 7 British, Christian authors). It was a remarkable reference tool - a multi-volume treasury of words! I never gave one thought to the lengthy process required to compile all those words and sentences. Having grown up with dictionaries, I couldn't conceive of a world without one.

What a fascinating tale! The seventy-year project (1857 to 1927) required many hours of research and investigation. Its editor, Professor James Murray, sent out a bid for volunteers. These individuals scoured books for early references and sentences that might articulate and support the meanings of various terms. One volunteer was an American, Dr. William Chester Minor. The good doctor's story was every bit as interesting as the illustrative quotes accumulated.

I'm still pondering the implications of the timing. If Dr. Minor hadn't served in the American Civil War, would his insanity have taken hold? Did he merely have a genetic predisposition for his paranoid mental instability? Without his insane act of murder, would he have had the freedom and time to devote to his thorough scouring of books for source material? What a sad life. Yet what a grand accomplishment!

Although the movie version received mixed reviews (trailer here), I will probably watch it at some point if it comes to Netflix or my library.