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The compilation of the OxfordEnglish Dictionary was one of the most ambitious and challenging language projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the vast over-seeing committee, led by professor James Murray, discovered that more than 10,000 definitions had been... Read Full Overview

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... Read Full Overview

"The Professor and the Madman," masterfully researched and eloquently written, 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 compilation of... Read Full Overview

The shocking story of the single greatest contributor to the first Oxford English Dictionary in 1857 reveals that the man who contributed 10,000 definitions to the book was in fact a patient in an asylum for the criminally insane. Reprint. 100,000 first printing. Tour. NYT.

The national bestseller that chronicles the fascinating story of two extraordinary men and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary--now available in a limited Olive Edition. "The linguistic detective story of the decade."--William Safire, New York Times Magazine Masterfully... Read Full Overview

"A narrative full of suspense, pathos and humor. . . . In this elegant book [Winchester] has created a vivid parable, in the spirit of Nabokov and Borges. There is much truth to be drawn from it, about Victorian pride, the relation between language and the world, and the fine... Read Full Overview