The Professor and the Madman (Paperback)

from alexlubertozzi

There is a lot to enjoy in this history of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary and two of the men who helped bring it to fruition. The history of dictionaries in general and of English dictionaries before the OED, in particular, is fascinating. So is the story of the American schizophre...

from lindap69

fascinating history of the OED and the people involved in its completion liked when it was story, often too many facts made the journey tedious

from JulieStielstra

A re-read prompted by the viewing of the recent film of the story, with Mel Gibson (the Professor) and Sean Penn (the Madman). Read the book - a sad, weird tale of words, paranoia, lexicography and insanity. The film was awful! Pity - in other hands, it could have been so good.

from tduvally

Very engaging and interesting read. The history, the words and the story all come together into a fun read. It was such a good read that I even read the entire acknowledgments, which turned out to be a great behind the scenes of the story's creation.

from tduvally

Very engaging and interesting read. The history, the words and the story all come together into a fun read. It was such a good read that I even read the entire acknowledgments, which turned out to be a great behind the scenes of the story's creation.