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juushikaTitle: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Author: Simon Winchester
Published: New York: HarperPerennial, 1998
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 242
Total Page Count: 99,848
Text Number: 285
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from Dee (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
century_eyes)
Review: The compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary was so ambitious a project that it was led by an overseeing committee and aided by hundreds of volunteers. When one man from the committee, Professor Murray, reached out to thank one of the most prolific volunteer contributors, Dr. Minor, he discovered that the other was an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane. This is the story of two brilliant men, their remarkably similar and different lives, and the landmark project that brought them together. I rarely pick up nonfiction, in large part because I find most nonfiction prose utilitarian at best and often far worse than that. The Professor and the Madman, however, has a subject too interesting for me to deny—and it was a personal success, because it has the style to back that up. Winchester approaches his story on both a local and global scale, telling two biographies and the tale of the OED, placing it at its proper point in history to explore how the times created the subjects and how the subjects forever changed the times. He nods to the popular myths surrounding his story, but brings the truth to life via careful research. Yet Winchester maintains the compelling force of a good story well told—and not by avoiding the minutiae of history. Rather, The Professor and the Madman succeeds as the tale of the OED by embracing its subject in totality: with an eye for fascinating and obscure detail, plenty of definitions harvested from the OED itself, transparently precise word choice (which would be irritating in another setting, but is a delight here), and a cultured, wry, cheeky voice, the book has character—a character well suited to the subject matter.
That character won't please everyone, but then neither will the subject; on the other hand, if the OED and its history intrigues, it's a joy to know that the style compliments and exploits that subject's potential. This isn't to say that the book is without fault: unavoidably, perhaps, given that both men died before the OED was completed, the end of the book loses steam and the OED's completion feels like more of an afterthought than a strong conclusion. The rest of the book proves Winchester to be a strong storyteller; even with the facts working against him, he could have done a better job with the ending. On the whole, however, The Professor and the Madman is a quiet success, unexpectedly engaging, surprisingly well told, and officiously, indulgently, enjoyably clever. It's just what I hoped to find but did not expect to receive, and I found it a joy to read—and successful creative nonfiction is a rare pleasure. It hasn't become a new favorite, nor a book that I need to own and reread, but it well deserved my time and I recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Simon Winchester
Published: New York: HarperPerennial, 1998
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 242
Total Page Count: 99,848
Text Number: 285
Read Because: personal enjoyment, borrowed from Dee (
century_eyes)Review: The compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary was so ambitious a project that it was led by an overseeing committee and aided by hundreds of volunteers. When one man from the committee, Professor Murray, reached out to thank one of the most prolific volunteer contributors, Dr. Minor, he discovered that the other was an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane. This is the story of two brilliant men, their remarkably similar and different lives, and the landmark project that brought them together. I rarely pick up nonfiction, in large part because I find most nonfiction prose utilitarian at best and often far worse than that. The Professor and the Madman, however, has a subject too interesting for me to deny—and it was a personal success, because it has the style to back that up. Winchester approaches his story on both a local and global scale, telling two biographies and the tale of the OED, placing it at its proper point in history to explore how the times created the subjects and how the subjects forever changed the times. He nods to the popular myths surrounding his story, but brings the truth to life via careful research. Yet Winchester maintains the compelling force of a good story well told—and not by avoiding the minutiae of history. Rather, The Professor and the Madman succeeds as the tale of the OED by embracing its subject in totality: with an eye for fascinating and obscure detail, plenty of definitions harvested from the OED itself, transparently precise word choice (which would be irritating in another setting, but is a delight here), and a cultured, wry, cheeky voice, the book has character—a character well suited to the subject matter.
That character won't please everyone, but then neither will the subject; on the other hand, if the OED and its history intrigues, it's a joy to know that the style compliments and exploits that subject's potential. This isn't to say that the book is without fault: unavoidably, perhaps, given that both men died before the OED was completed, the end of the book loses steam and the OED's completion feels like more of an afterthought than a strong conclusion. The rest of the book proves Winchester to be a strong storyteller; even with the facts working against him, he could have done a better job with the ending. On the whole, however, The Professor and the Madman is a quiet success, unexpectedly engaging, surprisingly well told, and officiously, indulgently, enjoyably clever. It's just what I hoped to find but did not expect to receive, and I found it a joy to read—and successful creative nonfiction is a rare pleasure. It hasn't become a new favorite, nor a book that I need to own and reread, but it well deserved my time and I recommend it.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
