Books like The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester
The Oxford English Dictionary, completed over five decades, drew on thousands of volunteers. Among the most dedicated was W. C. Minor, a millionaire former U.S. Civil War surgeon who was imprisoned in Broadmoor asylum for murder. Gripped by a lifelong passion for the English language, Minor devoted his solitary days in the institution to painstaking work on the dictionary. James Murray, the OED’s editor, visited Crowthorne, Berkshire, to meet this remarkable figure. Their meeting revealed a man whose scholarly devotion transcended his circumstances, leaving a lasting imprint on the monumental lexicographic project.
First publish date: 1998
Genre: Biography & Autobiography/Biography
Authors: Simon Winchester
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