The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

A New York Times Notable Book  

The Professor and the Madman 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 making of the OED was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him. For Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman “is the linguistic detective story of the decade.” (William Safire, New York Times Magazine)

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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Published Jul 5, 2005

272 pages

Average rating: 6.84

67 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

BreakdownsInMotion
May 31, 2025
6/10 stars
I’m not sure why this was on my TBR, but I’m trying to work through that…so here we are. I was far more interested in the madness than the creation of the dictionary, so I often found myself speeding up the audiobook until I reached the parts of interest. The exploration of Dr. Minor’s mental struggles and the actions he took because of them were of personal interest to me, and I must admit—that last bit took me by surprise. This is a short read…especially at 2x the speed.
Anonymous
May 04, 2025
6/10 stars
A bizarre story. Interesting characters. Horrifying how we treat mental illness. Then and today still
Connie1
Feb 25, 2025
Read by Jeannie: Jeannie recommends this non-fiction book. She found it very interesting.
JoBeech
Jan 21, 2025
10/10 stars
Fascinating
oh_let3
May 16, 2023
6/10 stars
Engaging historical piece, slightly disjointed

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