Language: English
1861-1865 - Veterans Biography Biography & Autobiography Books & Reading Civil War Period (1850-1877) Dictionaries Encyclopedias Encyclopedias and dictionaries Encyclopedias and dictionaries - History and criticism English language English language - Etymology English language - Lexicography Etymology General Great Britain Historical History History & Criticism James Augustus Henry - Friends and associates Language Arts & Disciplines Lexicographers Lexicographers - Great Britain Linguistics Literary Literary Criticism Minor Murray New English dictionary on historical principles Oxford English dictionary Psychiatric hospital patients Psychiatric hospital patients - Great Britain Reference United States United States - History - Civil War William Chester
Publisher: Harper Collins
Published: Jan 1, 1998
Description:
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 the OED began in 1857, it was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
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