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Professor and the Madman
A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
by Simon Winchester
ISBN: 0060175966
ISBN-13: 9780060175962
Format: Hardcover
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Summary
The fascinating true story about the relationship between the man who compiled the first Oxford English Dictionary and his major collaborator, an imprisoned murderer. A "New York Times" Notable Book for 1998.
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"[This] is a story brimming with madness, violence, arcane obsession, weird learning, ghastly comedy, and odd sexual fantasy....But most importantly, Winchester recognizes it is also a tragic story and he provides the delicately sympathetic touch it deserves." -- Josh London
-- American Spectator Online
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Harpercollins
Published date: 1998
Size: 5.75 x 8.5 inches
Weight: 1 pounds
Pages: 242
Publisher's Notes
Mysterious (mistîe · ries), a. [f. L. mystérium Mysteryi + ous. Cf. F. mystérieux.] 1. Full of or fraught with mystery; wrapt in mystery; hidden from human knowledge or understanding; impossible or difficult to explain, solve, or discover; of obscure origin, nature, or purpose. It is known as one of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters. The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took seventy years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brilliant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story--a story of two remarkable men whose strange twenty-year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking. Professor James Murray, an astonishingly learned former schoolmaster and bank clerk, was the distinguished editor of the OED project. Dr. William Chester Minor, an American surgeon from New Haven, Connecticut, who had served in the Civil War, was one of thousands of contributors who submitted illustrative quotations of words to be used in the dictionary. But Minor was no ordinary contributor. He was remarkably prolific, sending thousands of neat, handwritten quotations from his home in the small village of Crowthorne, fifty miles from Oxford. On numerous occasions Murray invited Minor to visit Oxford and celebrate his work, but Murrays offer was regularly--and mysteriously--refused. Thus the two men, for two decades, maintained a close relationship only through correspondence. Finally, in 1896, after Minor had sent nearly ten thousand definitions to the dictionary but had still never traveled from his home, a puzzled Murray set out to visit him. It was then that Murray finally learned the truth about Minor--that, in addition to being a masterful wordsmith, Minor was also a murderer, clinically insane--and locked up in Broadmoor, Englands harshest asylum for criminal lunatics. The Professor and the Madman is an extraordinary tale of madness and genius, and the incredible obsessions of two men at the heart of the Oxford English Dictionary and literary history. With riveting insight and detail, Simon Winchester crafts a fascinating glimpse into one mans tortured mind and his contribution to another man's magnificent dictionary.
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins. Used - Good. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped daily. Over one million satisfied book lovers read with Experienced Books. 1998. Hardcover. Good condition, showing modest signs of wear. Minor small bends/tears to edges of dust jacket. Dust jacket: Good. ( more information) Offered by Experienced Books LLC (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins. Used - Good. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped daily. Over one million satisfied book lovers read with Experienced Books. 1998. Hardcover. Good condition, showing modest signs of wear. BINDING IS HARDCOVER;. Dust jacket: Good. ( more information) Offered by Experienced Books LLC (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins. Used - Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins. Used - Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins. Used - Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins. Used - Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 HARDCOVER, GOOD CONDITION with MODERATE COSMETIC WEAR, PAGES CLEAN with NO NO HI-LIGHTING/ UNDERLINING/MARKS, BINDING TIGHT, NO MAJOR FLAWS . Good. 8/26/1998. ( more information) Offered by AB Book Company. (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 DJ has minor shelf wear. Book is clean and binding is tight. Fountain Street Books ships out Same day or Next day. All orders shipped in protective bubble mailers. Tracking provided for all orders . Fine. ( more information) Offered by Fountain Street Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 First Edition, 11th Printing Hardcover with dust jacket in Very Good condition. Some wear. No writing. . Very Good. ( more information) Offered by The Book Fiend (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 light shelf wear / edge wear cover / pages very good condition//"Buy with Confidence - Satisfaction Guaranteed! Customer Service Makes All the Difference." . Very Good. ( more information) Offered by Selahs Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 light shelf wear / edge wear cover / pages very good condition//"Buy with Confidence - Satisfaction Guaranteed! Customer Service Makes All the Difference." . Very Good. ( more information) Offered by Selahs Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 VG DJ, text clean and unmarked, binding tight, appears unread, no marks, packaged carefully shipped same day with free tracking . Fine. ( more information) Offered by audbooks (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 First Edition Hardcover with dust jacket in Very Good condition. Some wear. No writing. . Very Good. ( more information) Offered by The Book Fiend (United States)
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THE PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN
WINCHESTER, SIMON
HARPER, 1998, AS NEW HARDCOVER BOOK IN AS NEW JACKET, NO MARKS TO TEXT OR MARGINS, BINDING TIGHT, ( more information) Offered by A T QUINCY FINE BOOKS (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 HARDCOVER, STORE DISPLAY COPY, UNREAD NEW BUT HAS A TAD BIT OF SHELF WEAR FROM STORE DISPLAY OTHERWISE VERY NICE, CLEAN, COMPLETE . New. 8/26/1998. ( more information) Offered by AB Book Company. (United States)
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21)
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The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
Scarborough, ON, Canada: HarperCollins Publishers Canada, Limited, 1998 Black boards, gilt spine titles, moderate wear. Pages very good. Tan pictorial endpages w/ first dictionary pages overlay of the word: murder. Dj moderate edge wear. Madness, violence, arcane obsessions, weird learning, ghastly comedy, all set out in an atmosphere of po-faced, high neo-Gothic. 242 pages.. First Print. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. ( more information) Offered by BiblioStax (United States)
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22)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins, 1998. Hardcover. Good/Good. Light edge wear to jacket and book. Inside is clean and excellent. Hardcover with unclipped dust jacket. About this title: The riveting true story of Dr. W.C. Minor--the ingenious but insane American Civil War veteran who contributed more than 10,000 definitions to the Oxford English Dictionary. Orders normally ship in 1-2 business days depending on what time payment is completed. ( more information) Offered by Desktop Music, LLC (United States)
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23)
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The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Reprint edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Good. 21.75 cm. . Hardcover, very good condition, w. v. ltly slanted, v. ltly compressed sp, ltly bumped corners. Some lt soil on p. edgs. Ownership sticker, inscription on fr eps. Creaky hinges, o/w clean, tight, unmarked. Price-clipped dj g., somewhat rubbed, esp on ba Boards . ISBN: 0060175966. ( more information) Offered by George Cross Books (United States)
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24)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins, 1998-09-01. Hardcover. Very clean and readable. Very clean and readable ( more information) Offered by Kip Walls (United States)
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25)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins. Used - Very Good. 1st ed. 1998 Hardcover. Slight shelf wear; Otherwise, Very Good. ( more information) Offered by Powell's Bookstores Chicago (United States)
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26)
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The Professor and the Madman [Hardcover]
Winchester, Simon
hardcover. HarperCollins 1st ed, Aug 1998. seller's personal copy bought brand new, readb once. slight handling wear. nt a remainder. ( more information) Offered by Amerasia Books (United States)
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27)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins, 1998-09-01. Books. Very Good. Very Good/ Cover Tear ( more information) Offered by Rhinoplus (United States)
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30)
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Professor and the Madman, The: A Tale of Murder, Insanity
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. 18th ptg. 1999. fine/fine. Hard Cover. ...and the Making of the "Oxford English Dictionary." 242pp; monochrome il's e ndpapers; b/w ils ISBN:0060175966 . ( more information) Offered by The Old Library Bookshop (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
New York, New York: HarperCollins, 1998 First printing of first trade softcover edition. Shiny and bright. All perfect except for previous owner's name and date written on first page. NOT book club. Not ex-library. Not a book club edition. Non-smoking. BELLYFIREBOOKS SHIPS SAME DAY !!! (if mailing venues are closed or if order arrives too late, next day). D. FIRST TRADE EDITION/FIRST PRINTING. Soft Cover. Fine/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. NOT Ex-library. ( more information) Offered by BELLYFIREBOOKS (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins, 1998-09-01. Books. Very Good. Very Good ( more information) Offered by Rhinoplus (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins, 1998-09-01. Books. Very Good. Very Good ( more information) Offered by Rhinoplus (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins, 1998-09-01. Books. Very Good. Very Good ( more information) Offered by Rhinoplus (United States)
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41)
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The Professor and the Madman
Simon Winchester
HarperCollins, 1998-09-01. Hardcover. Good. Edge and cover wear to dust jacket. Creased dust jacket. Edge and cover wear to book. ( more information) Offered by Half Price Books, Inc. (United States)
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43)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 1999. First Thus. paperback. Good+/No Jacket. Some wear/slight curling to corners. Light edge wear and rubbing. ISBN: 0060175966. ( more information) Offered by Adventures Underground (United States)
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44)
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The Professor and the Madman ; A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins,, 1998.. 14th pr.. Hardcover 8vo. F/F. A fine copy~black boards, gilt lettering, red endpapers, DJ fine, protected in mylar cover. 256 pp. [This is] masterfully researched and eloquently written. It 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 compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary, 70 years in the making, was an intellectually heroic feat with a twist worthy of the greatest mystery fiction: one of its most valuable contributors was a criminally insane American physician, locked up in an English asylum for murder. ( more information) Offered by The Book Prowler (United States)
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46)
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The Professor and the Madman : A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins, 1999,. /Dust Jacket Included. 1999. Hardcover. hardback, 8vo, 282pp, owner's gift inscription on flyleaf, text clean and tight, Very Good / Very Good dustwrapper. ISBN: 0060175966 . ( more information) Offered by Brimstones (United Kingdom)
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47)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins,, 1998. First edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine . like new/like new ( more information) Offered by Monkey See, Monkey Read (United States)
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48)
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The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
New York: HarperCollins, 1998. A clean, tight, unmarked copy. xi, 242 pp. Dust jacket, price clipped, in protective mylar.. Later Printing. Hard Cover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo. ( more information) Offered by Turn-The-Page Books - Susan Blake and Peter Kohler, Booksellers (United States)
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49)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
Harper Collins New York 1998. First edition. A very good book indeed (fine except dent at top of spine) without dustjacket. "A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary".. ISBN: 0060175966. First Edition. Very Good/No Jacket. Pic. MURDER OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY MODERN FIRSTS. ( more information) Offered by M D Bloxsome Books (Denmark)
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51)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Book is a little rubbed at extremities with one slightly bumped corner else clean, straight and tight. Dustjacket is slightly rubbed at extremities and just a little "handled" but whole and bright and now in acid-free Brodart.. Twelfth Printing. Binding is Boards. Fine/Near Fine/Fine/near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ( more information) Offered by Athena's Book Shop (United States)
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52)
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The Professor and the Madman [Hardcover]
Winchester, Simon
Clean, unmarked pages. Excellent binding and cover. Hardcover with dust jacket. Ships daily. Dj has some shelf wear.Very Good ( more information) Offered by SequiturBooks (United States)
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55)
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The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
New York: HarperCollins, 1998. Reprint edition. Hardcover. Good/Very Good. 24.25 Cm. . Hardcover, good condition, w. smwht slanted, ltly compressed sp. Ltly tanned p. edges. On ffep, owner's label partially torn off. O/w cln, tight, unmarked. Dj g. smwht rubbed, marks. Boards . ISBN: 0060175966. ( more information) Offered by George Cross Books (United States)
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59)
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The Professor and the Madman : A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
Winchester, Simon
Scarborough, ON, Canada: HarperCollins Publishers Canada, Limited, 1998. Hardcover 242 pages in fine condition with fine dustjacket. 1st edition. A tale of murder, insanity, and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. The creation of the Oxford English Dictionary began in 1857, took 70 years to complete, drew from tens of thousands of brillant minds, and organized the sprawling language into 414,825 precise definitions. But hidden within the rituals of its creation is a fascinating and mysterious story_ a story of 2 remarkable men whose strange 22 year relationship lies at the core of this historic undertaking. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Fine. Illus. by Philip Hood . 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ( more information) Offered by Lavender Path Antiques and Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
Harpercollins. As New in As New dust jacket 1998. Later Printing. Hardcover. 0.9 x 8.56 x 5.8 Inches; 256 pages . ( more information) Offered by Olympia Books (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman
Winchester, Simon
HarperCollins. Hardcover. 0060175966 excellent condition, clean inside, same day shipping . Fine. ( more information) Offered by audbooks (United States)
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The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary
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Winchester, Simon; Hood, Philip - Illustrations
New York: Harper Collins, 1998. Hardcover. First edition. Fine in Near Fine Dust Jacket. Price/bar code sticker on back. 256 pages; b&w illustrations; 6 x 8.5 inches. The story of the Civil War veteran who contributed over ten thousand entries to the Oxford English Dictionary, one of the greatest literary achievements in the history of English letters. After 20 years of contributions the editor of the OED finds that his most prolific contributor has, all along, been locked up in Broadmoor, England's harshest asylum for criminal lunatics. FREE SHIPPING within the US by Media Mail. Careful and secure packaging. ( more information) Offered by A&D Books (United States)
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