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Summary: An ironic twist of fate in the creation of the Oxf Eng Dict
Review: An ironic twist of fate in the creation of the Oxford nglish Dictionary. Here is a man (the doctor) cut off from society still able to find purpose in his drab conditions.
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Summary: Winchester Brings Lexicographic History to Life!
Review: Okay, you can get the long-winded plot summaries from the other reviews here, but you won't get this: The Professor and the Madman is a book for practically anybody. I have a personal interest in the history of the English language, so I found the book especially fascinating, but the truth is, it has something for everybody. It's not just a tale of some convicted murderer who contributed a lot of quotes to the Oxford English Dictionary. It's a romantic and tragic story, about two misunderstood men--one trapped in an asylum with a wish to contribute something to the world, the other a highly respected, yet humble and intelligent scholar. The connection between them--as well as their individual stories--is mysterious and beautiful. If you enjoy true stories of profound and personal undertakings, or if you just like a good book about unusual and interesting subjects, then buy this. It is not padded or drawn out, as some less patient reviewers would have you believe; it is entertaining, informative, and well worth your while.
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Summary: Word Lovers Rejoice
Review: I read three books a week and strive to choose literature that teaches as well as "entertains". Non fiction is my mode and it was while reading this book I was reminded of Eccentrics by British authors by David Joseph Weeks, Jamie James. Then I turned on Martha Stewarts show Wednesday February 16th and low and behold the author Simon Winchester was a guest. What intrigues me about the book aside from the strange bedfellows side is once again I as an American was reminded how much the British adore and respect language. The fact the Oxford English Dictionary was 70 yrs in the making is humbling to say the least, especially when one looks at how "fast" we Americans like everything. People who love language, and who see words like paint strokes on a canvas will see American raised Mr Minor as Picasso and Professor James Murray more the Monet. Each with a vision and a passion. But I kept thinking of Eccentrics and how those authors noted that in the end the British prize their eccentrics which Mr Minor was in many ways, while here in the states we drug and try to make "normal" (bland) those we deem brilliant yet odd. I not only wonder if William F Buckley will give the book as a gift but wonder and hope more people buy the Oxford English Dictionary and see firsthand what a masterpiece looks like.
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Summary: An interesting but not entirely succesful hybrid
Review: Is this book a story or a study? It tries to be both, and because of this, falls a bit short. The topic could lend itself to either format, and the actions of and relationship between the professor and the madman might require separation to be written well. As a story, you never really get too close to the characters, so while you may admire, despise or pity them, it's hard to feel genuine empathy. As Winchester is working from facts, as in any study, the psychological background of the characters eludes the reader, and when you're reading a story, don't we all want to get inside the characters' minds? In this book, we see that those minds exist and are complicated, but we never get inside. Also, the other relationships in the main characters' lives could have been given more attention. As a study, there just aren't enough facts. Every now and then something interesting in the characters' lives or in the OED project will be mentioned, but it's obvious where the information trail has dried up, as the subject changes suddenly. This might have been more successful as a historical novel, where some license could have been taken to flesh out relationships. Or, it might have been part of a longer research project that turned up more information. Either way, this is a fairly reader-friendly introduction to the story behind creating the Oxford English Dictionary, and has enough of interest to keep you involved. I only wish there had been more to be involved in.
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Summary: Two Worlds Collide with a Whimper
Review: The Professor and the Madman does its best work when it: (a) provides a history of the Oxford English Dictionary and the monumental efforts needed to produce it. This alone makes parts of the book interesting reading; and (b) builds towards the meeting of Drs. Murray and Minor. From the narrative of the book, you expect some type of fireworks when the meeting occurs, but my reaction to this scene was "Ok, what's next?" The story raised my hopes for an interesting conclusion to the book, but it fizzled, rather than dazzled.
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Summary: There isn't much of a story
Review: Yes, it is an interesting aside that a "madman" helped write the Oxford Dictionary. It would have made a very nice article for a scholary magazine, but padded out it makes a very boring book. The fact of the matter is, the author really doesn't know all that much about W.C. Minor.
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Summary: The Professor and the Madman, Not Such A Good Book
Review: The Professor and the Madman is a wonderful story, but not such a wonderful book. Simon Winchester, the author, turns this interesting story about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary into a 240 page novel. That's still a very short book by most people's standards, but the same story could have been told in twenty pages and saved the reader a great deal of suffering. With all of the extra space in this novel, you would think that the author would have described the characters to an extreme. After I finished the finished the book though, I couldn't even picture any of the protagonists. The character development wasn't much better. Even with an insane man as the one of the main characters, the characters didn't change throughout the book but remained rather stagnant. The setting around the characters was described in much more detail then the characters themselves. The setting in this book was described well. In fact, it was described and described until whenever Winchester started describing the surroundings I had to stop myself from skipping ahead. In the beginning of the book, Winchester spends almost all of the first chapter describing the city of Lambeth, which is never revisited by any character in the book. Every place in the novel is described to the ninth degree, so that I had to make an effort of sifting through each chapter after I was done reading it to find what was happening with the characters. The style of narration in this novel is in the third person. This makes it very easy for the author write as if he does not care about what happens to the characters, which is what Winchester does. Since the subject matter is all true, Winchester has to avoid his book being dry. I am sorry to say that he does not succeed. Winchester writes this book with a very arrogant and aloof tone. I don't know if he meant to instill this opinionated air in his novel or if it was a mistake but it was clear to me that it was there. Despite all this, there is a good and charming story behind all of the needless descriptions. There were some well written and interesting chapters in the book. One of my favorite parts was when Winchester describes what is thought to have driven the main character mad, even if he doesn't let you see into the character's mind very well. It was also interesting to hear about the medical care an insane man was given in this time period (the years surrounding 1872). In short, I would not recommend this book for two main reasons. One, the author has a who-needs-you attitude which makes the novel hard to read at times. Two, it is not a story to put into a book because of the fact that it isn't long enough. There are only interesting facts or maybe even a short story to be found behind all of the extra trivialities. It is a very interesting story tell at a dinner party or read in a collection of short stories.
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Summary: A monument to words and madness
Review: Any human undertaking as monumental as the Oxford English Dictionary is the result of the dedication of many people, esp. the heroic efforts of its first editor, Prof. Murray of Oxford. It's almost unimaginable that the OED was published before typewriters, much less computers. And as with any other such endeavor, some of those people will have interesting, and sometime dark, histories. This certainly true of the OED. Mr. Winchester spins a fascinating and true story, braiding together details of dictionary editing, the sad and tragic story of an American doctor living in England, and a discourse on "madness." The short story is that this American doctor (Dr. Minor) gradually loses his sanity (perhaps as a result of some traumatic experiences during the Civil War), shoots an innocent man in England, and is sentenced to spending the bulk of his adult life in the notorious Broadmoor asylum for the criminally insane. Mr. Winchester clearly has a love of words and etymology, and skillfully guides the reader from theme to theme. The tragic (and remorseful) Dr. Minor, who is a major contributor of words and definitions to the OED, is really a case study in "madness." In today's society, it is quite likely that he would have been subjected to various therapies and medications, all in an attempt to make him more "normal," or socially acceptable. Had that been the case, would he have been the creative and resourceful man that Winchester describes? And, of course, the corollary is this: Are we today "killing" the creativity and genius of men, women, and children by medicating them into "normalcy?" This is a very difficult issue and, to his credit, Mr. Winchester raises the question obliquely without answering it for the reader. We are left to decide for ourselves. I was also left bedazzled by the majestic effort of the OED editors, our mad doctor, and Mr. Winchester's ability to describe all of this so beautifully.
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Summary: A great short History of the Oxford Dictionary and more...
Review: The best thing about this book to me, is it never went to far in depth into any one subject the book was covering. I say this because I would not read a full book on any one of it's subjects for lack of interest. But instead it just laid out a short fascianting history. Starting with Dictionarys and the beginnings of the Oxford Dictionary. Then two rather fasciatings biographys on two of the great men behind the Oxford Dictionary. Then throw in some History of 19th. century America and England and I think you have a great short history novel.
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Summary: cheated!
Review: I feel quite cheated having paid for a paperback(yes,we have to pay very highly for the privilege of buying a book)-expecting an entertaining novel as the front and back covers suggested,and instead found I'd spent my money on a poorly written text book!
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