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Summary: A book lover's book.
Review: What a read! Like Mark Kurlansky, author of "Cod", Winchester takes a topic that many would find dry as dust and illuminates its relevance and significance with both respect and enthusiasm. Along the way he touches on many issues besides his chief topic, the development of the OED -- including the imperfect state of mental illness diagnosis and treatment -- but, aside from posing appropriate questions these issues raise, he stays within his expertise. In other words, while there may be a "madman" at the center of this book, Winchester never forgets that his topic is the OED and the relationship among the project's most interesting collaborators; he's not standing on a mental-health soapbox. Others have called this a must read; I must agree.
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Summary: This is a beautifully written and concieved book.
Review: Winchester is a master of the language, and his precise writing presents two of the rather fulvid fascinations of the Victorians--cataloging *everything* and murder most foul. It's a great read, full of well-researched details and well-constructed sentences. Quirky and wonderful.
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Summary: and deserves it!
Review: This is the best non-fiction book I've read in a long, long time. It's everything the reviewers said and more. It's well researched and interestingly presented. It's fun to read but wonderfully informative. I enjoyed every single word.
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Summary: A well researched study of a fascinating topic
Review: Winchester has two skills which are amply demonstrated in this book. (i) He is a superb story teller - and he has done an enormous amount of research in compiling the facts, and fiction, of the subject matter. Furthermore the subjct matter is fascinating.(ii) His mastery of the english language suggests that he too would have been an invaluable contributor to the OED!
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Summary: Brilliant
Review: Wonderfully writted, sprouts an odd interest in lexical history
Rating: 
Summary: A great book
Review: This is a great book that works on many levels. Don't be afraid of the erudite subject matter. It is as much about human emotion and the effect of war on individuals as it is on the scholarly endeavor of the dictionary - which is quite interesting in its own right. It is well written and concise. I enjoyed it immensely. (I would have given this book five stars if it wasn't for the goofy attempt at humor made in the title of chapter 10).
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Summary: Minor's natural course of paranoid illness
Review: The book provides a glimpse into the natural course of a paranoid illness if it is not treated. Dr Minor was haunted by fixed, unshakeable paranoid belief and yet the other parts of his brain could continue to function as evident by his voluminous contributions to OED. I would recommend this book to all those involved in the care of the mentally ill.
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Summary: As compelling as any fictional suspense thriller
Review: Suspenseful, compelling and thoughtful, this nonfiction book about the creation of the Oxford dictionary and the mentally unbalanced murderer that contributed to the creation of said dictionary is fascinating. Winchester captures the atmosphere and the conflicting personalities that helped to create Oxford dicitionary. He follows the two main characters reflected existence; one born into money and talented, descents into madness, while the other from humble beginings ascends to respect and acclaim. As they used to say, a great read. This book has all the characters of a great novel but, ironically enough, is drawn from life. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Untreated paranoia well illustrated
Review: This book drives home several important lessons. First, on friendship. Dr Murray did not forsake Dr Minor after he had discovered that the latter was an inmate of a mental asylum. Both continued to maintain close ties. Second, mentally ill patients are not completely 100% disturbed. Some, like Dr Minor, continued to maintain an interest in books and words. I hope this book will help to dispel the stigmatisation of mental illness. Third, mentally ill patients need environmental support. Dr Minor's mental condition deteriorated when he was under Dr Brayn, a "gaoler of the old school", who took over from Dr Nicholson, a "kindly friend". Fourthly, on guilt. Dr Minor's guilt turned for the worst when he became a deist (someone believing in the existence of God) and his ruminations about his past promisicuity as well as his hypersexual appetite (his constant mssturbation) became so unbearable that he performed "the unkindest cut". Finally, this book clearly illustrates the natural clinical course of a paranoid patient without any proper medication and treatment. Simon Winchester has helped to put in clear language the many faceted clinical presentations of paranoid schizophrenia. I would highly recommend this book to those interested in and fascinated by the intricacies of the mind and psyche.
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Summary: A fun and very enlightening book to read.
Review: This book brings to life the story behind the Oxford English dictionary(OED). Often when one thinks of the dictionary you think of a large book of reference words that is just about everywhere you go. I never realized there was an enormous amount of human effort(80 years) in creating this very special book. It reminded me of when I first saw a map of star constellations in the sky. All my life I saw the stars but I never thought about the names and the patterns containing them. They were just there. The book was similar to me by telling me of a rich past and people who created a book that I took for granted. Additionally, I found the book easy to read and I liked how the author gave a lot of personality to the characters with only research documentation. Further he created a wonderful sense of atmosphere of the time. I hope everyone else likes it as much as I did.
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