Rating: 
Summary: Reader's Digest Non-fiction
Review: Feel it a duty to add a voice of dissent to the chorus of praise heaped upon this thin-blooded, dilettantish piece of work. How Winchester managed to do all the legwork implied by his "Acknowledgements" and still write such an uninteresting, repetitive and grossly reductive piece of flimflam is a bit of a mystery. Nevertheless, what we have here is not a scholarly examination of an unexplored corner in the history of the making of the OED, but a sentimental 200 page piffle that lurches from the predictably trite to the wildly speculative, interspersed along the way with stomach-churning excursions into the cutesy-wutsey. (Examples of the latter include referring to Dr. Johnson no less than six times in the course of a single chapter as "The Great Cham," and Winchester's inability to mention the lexicographer Frederick Furnivall without also mentioning the "buxom barmaids" of his favorite haunt).The central failure of the book, however, is Winchester's weakness for unsupported contention. He maintains, for instance, that Minor, the madman, and Murray, the OED's editor, became fast "friends" with a relationship based on "great mutual respect" but the only piece of actual evidence the author proffers, a single letter of Murray's, suggests that the editor felt little more than interested pity for Minor. More brazenly, without the smallest scintilla of evidence, Winchester suggests that Minor may have engaged in an act of self-mutilation out guilt for having sexual thoughts about the widow of the man he murdered. Similar instances of the author's wishful thinking abound: from Minor's childhood impressions in Ceylon, through his experiences in the Civil War, to his years confined to Broadmoor, Winchester hasn't hesitated to mix fact with fancy wherever he thought it would spice up the story. Furthermore, anyone looking for insight into the shaping of the OED will be sorely disappointed. Although he early alleges that his book will have two protagonists (affording the author the opportunity for a meaningless digression about the history of the word "protagonist"), in point of fact we get very, very little about Sir James Murray: a brief sketch of his childhood, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he's been appointed editor of the OED. We also get no sense at all of what the man might have been like, or how he was able to overcome the various obstacles that arose in the creation of the massive dictionary. In short, this is the Reader's Digest-style non-fiction: short, sensationalistic, largely unburdened by substantiated fact or telling detail. It's harmless enough, perhaps, but even for a work intended for a lay readership it aims very low indeed.
Rating: 
Summary: Eloquence personified - A wordsmith's delight!
Review: It has been said there are only two really important things in life: The people you meet and the books you read. Rest assured, this book will entice and indulge your literary senses. But how does one adequately describe such a unique and important work of nonfiction? Simon Winchester's masterful tapestry of words proves itself to be a polished, intriguing page-turner that quickens the pulse from the beginning. Yet it begs to be savored one chapter at a time. Don't rush through it too quickly; relish the style of a truly gifted storyteller. Allow yourself to be transported back to a time when language was more pristine and precise. Winchester has not only meticulously researched his subject matter, but he has taken great pains to ensure that his writing style fits the time period perfectly. By today's standards we might say, "It doesn't get any better than this, folks, and they don't come along too often."
Rating: 
Summary: The human mind shines through
Review: This is a book I would not have read in printed form, but I liked the unabridged audio very much. The fact that WC Minor was so delusional that he could shoot someone by mistake, yet comb literary sources to aid in the making of the OED is just amazing! We still have not eliminated schizophrenis, not even helped it much with medication. It's interesting to ponder whether drugs would have blunted Minor's intellect. He certainly was treated well for most of his time in an asylum, allowing him to become part of this fascinating history. I especially liked the audio because the writer was narrating and there was an interview at the end of the tape, sort of a FAQ's.
Rating:
Summary: Tradgedy, Triumph, and a lot of Learning
Review: This was a book that was recommended to me by a friend who is interested in linguistics and the Oxford English Dictionary, and at first I was sure I would have no interest in the story. As soon as I beagn, however, I found that the story was more about the people involved and by concentrating on their actions the author makes the dictionary and even even the English language interesting. It is difficult to make a book a central charactrer and give it a strong personality, but that is what Winchester does, and it makes for a wonderful story. I think the best praise you can give an author is that they changed the way you think and made something you had no interest in fascinating, and that is exactly what Simon Winchester did in The Professor and the Madman.
Rating:
Summary: History with a Personal Touch
Review: This is the story of three men, one a murder victim, the second a doctor-turned psychotic murderer, and the third a lexicographer, and the fascinating, sometimes bizarre, events which connected them and helped bring about the gigantic Oxford English Dictionary. The account is painstakingly researched, and written in an easily-readable literary style. It is history, yet with an attempt to understand the thoughts and feelings of the key individuals. The book will be of interest to any enthusiast of Linguistics,19th Century History, or Psychology.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting!
Review: The Professor and the Madman is a pretty good book. Simon Winchester is an excellent writer and the book for the most part tells an interesting story. The relationship between the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary and the convicted insane murderer who submitted so many of its definitions is very interesting. Winchester does a great job telling the story of their lives and how their paths cross. Winchester is also very clever with using definitions from the OED at the start of each chapter that fit the chapters subject. I thought that was neat. This is not a long book and reads very quickly. However the parts I did not like were when Winchester went off on a tangent on the history of certain words and dictionaries. That I found a bit much. So other than the parts on word origins and the history of dictionaries this was a good book. I also highly recommend Winchesters early book on travelling the Yangtze River in China. It is a fantastic book.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting dictionary history, but not a gripping story
Review: I really enjoyed learning about how the Oxford English Dictionary was created, but thought the author's attempt at telling the story of The Professor and The Madman was clumsy. I could never really get involved or feel for either of these two men. I never saw them truly as characters. I found this book disappointing, but was glad to read of how the dictionary was created.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting for an article, too little for a book
Review: This book, while fairly interesting in terms of plot, really only has enough material in it for a short article. There are perhaps three events of note in the entire book, one of which is well-known from the outset. I was disappointed - but then I prefer well written fiction to mediocrely written faction.
Rating:
Summary: A Fascinating True Story in the Mould of The Elephant Man
Review: I loved this book - The Professor and The Madman, aka The Surgeon of Crowthorne (In Australia, UK etc). This is a true story that is stranger than fiction. Victoriana revealed, along the lines of The Elephant Man. This too would make a marvelous movie. The tale revolves around two minds, similar but yet so different. The scholar James Murray, compiler of the Oxford English Dictionary, and Dr Minor, an American sugeon who is a voluntary contributor to the dictionary's word "database". After many years collaboration, Murray tracks down the elusive Dr Minor to a mental home and discovers the true tale behind his mysterious colleage and vital contributor to the dictionary. Facinating stuff and true too. Exciting, mysterious with strong emotional overtones. This book combines human interest with history, a bit like Caleb Carr's The Alienist, but true. This is a very well-writen book, that I only wish was a little longer. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: I truly could not put this book down and I have recommended it to all my friends. What a convoluted and bizarre story about fascinating, brilliant men. As a former librarian, I was totally drawn in by the story of the OED as well. Wonderful reading.
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