Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely gripping look at madness, murder and the OED
Review: I bought this book a couple of years ago, forgetting about it until a friend recently mentioned how much she'd loved it. When I did finally read it, I found it to be an utterly compelling story, well researched, written, and presented, and one of the best books that I've read in quite some time.The Professor and the Madman functions on several levels. On the one hand, and perhaps most superficially, it's the story of how the Oxford English Dictionary was put together and the people responsible for its initial publication. But the book also focuses on many other issues, namely the nature and cause of madness, the impact of murder on individuals and a society, friendship under extraordinary circumstances, and the historical context in which all of these elements come together. Every aspect of the book is equally fascinating. I had not known how the OED was put together, and that piece in and of itself is simply terrific, as the production was truly miraculous - the picture the author paints of volunteers scribbling away all over England, looking up words and copying sentences, is just wonderful. The lives and personalities at the center - the professor and the madman - are presented in all their complexities, and Simon Winchester effectively explores both fact and myth without appearing to conflate the two. In addition, this book offers some insights into how madness, even criminal insanity, was viewed and treated in the 19th century, including a peek into an asylum of the time. However dry and academic the topic might seem - the OED hardly appears a breeding ground for intrigue or madness - this is certainly one of the most compelling and interesting books I have ever read. Simon Winchester is able to bring these characters to life with appropriate detail, and he theorizes about motivations, emotions, and so forth with sufficient documentation and without making it seem as though he is stretching history for dramatic effect. I would recommend this book to any reader without hesitation - it should definitely not be missed by any fan of history, excellent writing, or an utterly engrossing read.
Rating: 
Summary: Far better than I expected
Review: I read "The Professor and the Madman" as a requirement for a course that I'm going to be taking this fall, a course that is notorious for picking painfully dull and obtuse books. You can imagine my pleasant surprise as I found this book to be quite interesting, so interesting in fact that I read it in less than a week. "The Professor and the Madman" is the curious tale of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary and the two men who formed an unlikely friendship during the course of its creation: one sane and one mad, Sir James Murray and Dr. William Minor. Although I enjoyed the story and the insights I gained pertaining to the sheer magnitude of work it takes to compile a halfway decent dictionary, there were a few points in the book that were a little awkward (hence the four star rating). Winchester seemed to hop around chronologically at some points in the book, writing about an event that took place sometimes years in advance and then hopping back to where he started. It made things a little confusing at times. However, Winchester is clearly in his element in this book. He very carefully sets up the backgrounds of Murray and Minor, neatly comparing them via the juxtaposition of the single chapters devoted solely to each man. I also appreciated the manner in which he showed the growing friendship between the two men and how he described Minor's mental condition. Bottom Line: A sound read. Not for young readers, based on content alone (not that I would expect many teenagers to even consider reading this). Have your own copy of the Oxford English Dictionary handy to look up the multitude of obscure words Winchester uses in order to appreciate his literacy.
Rating:
Summary: Dictionary - suprisingly interesting
Review: This book was recommened to me by a person that to me has a great taste in books so I bought it. At first I was thinking maybe the same thing that you are, a book about a dictionary, how incredibly boring. But it really is quite interesting. I had never heard of the Oxford English Dictionary and therefore knew nothing about there being a story behind it or that the story of it's making is so fascinating. It is not all about the dictionary but more about the two main forces, two people, that helped create this book. I like this approach a lot because this way you don't get bogged down in the book, which nobody wants. At least try it, it's a suprisingly intriguing book.
Rating:
Summary: Truth IS stranger . . .
Review: If Mark Twain had produced this story we would be smiling at the bizarre characterization and twisted plot. A deranged killer, comfortably incarcerated as he participates in an immense intellectual endeavour. That Winchester's tale is valid history instead invokes sadness and consternation. What bends a man's mind past the breaking point? Is a single event sufficient cause, or does it require a sequence of circumstances? If broken, must we believe that mind of no further use? Winchester's history of William Minor not only is a superb read, it shows that only extraordinary circumstances can overcome the condition of the mentally disturbed. Minor, through a fluke, restored meaning to his incarceration through his contributions to the Oxford English Dictionary. Winchester has performed a noteworthy service in this uncanny work. His long-standing journalist's skills are given full rein as he canters through Minor's life in Asia, the American War Between the States and the long years in Britain's Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum. Winchester feeds us tidbits of Minor's life as the story progresses. Born in what is now Sri Lanka, Minor's early life is almost a tale of fantasy in its own right. Winchester attributes the tropical lifestyle to sowing the seeds of Minor's later madness. The seed flourished during the American Civil War, heavily fertilized with the blood of soldiers fallen during the Wilderness Campaign in Virginia. According to Winchester, the branding of an AWOL Irish soldier led to the madness bearing its fruit in the mistaken murder of a passerby in London. The mindless killing led to his incarceration in Broadmoor. While there, he became one of the principal contributors to the building of the O.E.D. Winchester stresses what an immense task compiling a full dictionary of the English language was - something we take for granted now - non-existent in Shakespeare's day. The O.E.D.'s editor, James Murray, recognized Minor's contributions as particularly insightful and valuable. Minor had his own method of tracking and classifying words and was able to fulfill Murray's needs in a way that far outstripped the other suppliers. Murray sought out Minor to acknowledge his efforts. It was an unusual association for the time - particularly in the face of Minor's continuing fantasies of persecution. Winchester's use of definitions as chapter headings is an effective lead-in to the main text. His own word skills aren't wanting, and his descriptive prowess is excellent. Sprinkled with line drawings, the graphics help convey the feeling of the era. If there is a flaw in this book, it's in the lack of an index. A history without an index is incomplete. Still, it's the story that demands attention, which any reader will freely give that as this exemplary narrative progresses. He manages to weave a needed sample of an individual's history within a wider, but comprehensive picture. More accounts of noteworthy, but previously unknown people are needed. It's to be hoped that others will follow Winchester's creditable effort.
Rating:
Summary: Lexicographical Sleuthing
Review: A thoroughly engaging romp through the mores and foibles of victorian England's illuminati. As readable as it is a detailed account of the making of the work that changed western civilization. I have not enjoyed a book as much since Longitude.
Rating:
Summary: BIG WORK IN LITTLE ENGLAND
Review: Despite author Simon Winchester's sometimes strained, tangential prose, this is a very fine little book. Although primarily an historical mystery, a love of words and word origins on the part of the reader couldn't hurt. The two main characters, (Professor) Murray and (Madman) Minor, are carefully drawn, almost painfully realized in light of the great task before them, the staggering complexities of their own private lives in a much more primitive age, and the shortness of life itself. It does seem curious that, unlike the vast majority of historical biographies, there are (aside from the cover) no record of photographs here, only a few nice etchings. It may be that Winchester wanted to enhance the "novel" feel of his book rather than adhere to strict historical norms, if there is such a thing.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read for anyone
Review: In The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester writes the story of two men and the making of the Oxford English dictionary (OED). If you think this may make many you quite drowsy, you're quite wrong. The creation of the OED took over seventy years, beginning in 1857. How was this mammoth undertaking completed in an age without computers, without mass production of typewriters or any technological assistance of any kind? It was spearheaded by by Professor James Murray, who was assisted by thousands of volunteer readers, who collected words and definitions. One of the most prolific volunteers was William Minor, an American Civil War veteran imprisoned in an English insane asylum for committing murder. Minor contributed over ten thousand definitions during a thirty year period. This book tells his sad, fascinating story and interweaves it with the tale of Murray's impossible dream to catalogue every word in the English language, along with their derivations, usages and examples. To be sure, this book will be most fascinating to lexicogrpahers and wordsmiths, but history lovers will also be delighted, as will readers who enjoy light mysteries. The book often reads like novel, and it will leave you in awe at the monumental achievement that is the OED.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This one comes under the heading of "brain food" for me. A really interesting story, and despite its subject matter, never too dry. If you feel like getting a bit of learnin', this could be just the book for you!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable historical story
Review: I found this book to be extremely interesting (so much so that I finished reading it in a day). The only problem I had was the writing style of the author. He tends to write in run-on sentences, and I found this to be slightly distracting. For example, one sentence from page 82 is as follows: "And more-if he wasn't precisely sure that he was giving his Sebastian the proper reference for his lines-for was the inn really likely to be named after an elephant, or was it perhaps named after another animal, a camel or a rhino, or a gnu?-where could he look to make sure?" I didn't notice any other reviewers who had complained about this, so most people must have not been bothered by his writing style. Overall I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to people who are interested in reading a light historical novel.
Rating:
Summary: The Mad Professor
Review: The whole time while reading this one, I was picturing David Lynch doing his own film adaptation. A tragic tale of two very different men sharing their genius of language, and of their bond of mutual respect and dependence.
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