✰✰✰½ This slim book is the tale of a scholar, a brilliant mental patient, and the ultimate English dictionary. Author Simon Winchester expertly weaves together the stories of all three to illustrate how events (some tragic) aligned just perfectly to result in the making of The Oxford English Dictionary. Although the language and the dictionary are always changing, this mammoth undertaking was accomplished without the help of the computers or technology we have available at our fingertips today. Additionally, the number of volunteer readers and the little slips of paper they created is truly astonishing. Even more astonishing is the fact that one of the most prolific readers was a mentally ill surgeon, who lived in an asylum at the time. This fascinating look at history, language, collaboration, and mental illness is a real page turner.
The Bottom Line: This engaging nonfiction book is a quick read for those interested in lexicography, especially The Oxford English Dictionary. Back in the day this was the go-to set for scholars, and for some of us, the OED is just an interesting read. (Don't laugh until you try it.) Winchester takes us on an intriguing journey to uncover what happened behind the scenes during the compiling of multiple volumes over 7 decades. Enthusiastically recommended for readers interested in language, academia, mental health, and word history.
Book Club Notes: This was our first meeting of the year, and it was well attended. The book was well received too. I was able to bring the entire set of The Oxford English Dictionary to our meeting for people to pick up, handle, and look through. For some, it was the first time holding a volume of the OED! We had fun looking up words, including "elephant" which is mentioned in Winchester’s book. Overall, we very much enjoyed this book. It provided good insight into the making of the OED and life during the late 1800s. Winchester included lots of written detail, but we would have liked to see more photos included. We agreed there is a wealth of knowledge in this small book. We enjoyed learning about history and words. One drawback was the lack of an index.
The movie was well received too. Actors Sean Penn and Mel Gibson did an amazing job. However, we noted the introduction of a romantic theme between two characters that may or many not have occurred (probably not). That being said, this was one of the few times the movie rated (slightly) higher than the book. On a scale of 1 - 5, with 5 being the highest, we rated the movie a 4.1. Ratings for the book ranged from 3.5 - 4.5, with an average of 3.6. Participants were interested in reading the author’s other titles as well.
Looking for discussion questions? Check out ReadingGroupGuides to start.
And as a note of interest, I took the time to fold a “quire” (or my interpretation of one) as quires are mentioned in the book. It’s an interesting activity. Here are several links about making a either a traditional quire or a small book like the one I made: University of Nottingham, Dartmouth, and BlueSofaMedia. (I used the last one.)
Details: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. Hardcover published by HarperCollins Publishers in 1998. 242 p. ISBN: 0-06-017596-6
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