The Professor and the Madman
by Simon Winchester: One might think that the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary would be a dry read, but it most certainly is not. This is mostly due to the fact that one of the most prolific contributors turned out to be an American inmate in an asylum for the criminally insane. Seriously. True, you should have at least a passing interest in linguistics – or at least vocabulary – to get a lot out of this book, but in a lot of ways this nonfiction book reads like a novel. This is the sort of history book I enjoy. Definitely recommended for lovers of words.
Also posted on BookCrossing.
I read and wrote about this book a few years ago. Since I’m a “lover of words”, it was right up my alley.
I have this book on my shelf to read- thanks for the reminder that I really should get to it!