The Surgeon of Crowthorne

The making of the Oxford English Dictionary was a monumental 50 year task requiring thousands of volunteers.

The making of the "Oxford English Dictionary" was a monumental 50 year task requiring thousands of volunteers. One of the keenest volunteers was a W C Minor who astonished everyone by refusing to come to Oxford to receive his congratulations. In the end, James Murray, the "OED's" editor, went to Crowthorne in Berkshire to meet him.

An extraordinary tale of madness, genius and obsession, discover the true story of the two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary - and literary history!

The compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand of those words.

But when the committee insisted on honouring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, a millionaire and American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane . . . charged with murder!
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'A weird and wonderful story of an eccentric friendship, and a slice of history' Sunday Times

'What a revelation. Beautifully told and awe-inspiring' Daily Mail

'Simon Winchester could not have told it better . . . a splendid book' Economist

'Masterful . . . one of those rare stories that combine human drama and historical significance' Independent