![]() What I found most interesting (I'm a psychological researcher, I can't help it) were the moral questions that Winchester poses, but does not claim to know a "right answer" to, regarding the recent institutionalization of psychopharmaceuticals in the treatment of mental disorder. Simon Winchester moves from Ceylonian (now Sri Lankan) beaches to the American Civil war, from Victorian London slums to the castles of Oxford University, and always back to mental institutes, skillfully weaving a narrative of a promising life gone wrong and the good that nevertheless came out of it. What evolves from this exploration of a life's work is a completely haunting, though at times touching, tale of the human mind in all its capacities. It details the history of the timelessly impressive accomplishment that is the Oxford English Dictionary, focusing on one of its most prolific volunteer contributors- who also happened to be a life-long patient at an institute for the criminally insane. " Much more tragic a story than I'd ever expected, this book delivers on its tripartite promise of murder, insanity, and dictionary-making. A big question is, would the Oxford English Dictionary have been less magnificent if one of its main patrons was treated differently? " - Annie, ![]() Also, this is an acute view of mental illness and how it was viewed in history (specifically in Victorian England). I love when a nonfiction book shows something well-known from a different point of view, or at least, mixes it with other information from the current day that one would normally never associate with the subject. Overall Performance: Narration Rating: Story Rating:.edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more. Masterfully researched and eloquently written, The Professor and the Madman “is the linguistic detective story of the decade.” (William Safire, New York Times Magazine) ![]() Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane. But their surprise would pale in comparison to what they were about to discover when the committee insisted on honoring him. ![]() Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, was stunned to discover that one man, Dr. The making of the OED was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. 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. ![]()
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