The Surgeon of Crowthorne Audiobook By Simon Winchester cover art

The Surgeon of Crowthorne

The Murder, Mystery and Madness of the Oxford English Dictionary

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The Surgeon of Crowthorne

By: Simon Winchester
Narrated by: Simon Winchester
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About this listen

The compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary was a monumental task. It took 50 years, even with the help of numerous contributors. Among the most prolific was William Chester Minor, who sent editor James Murray thousands of extracts.

On many occasions, Murray invited this mysterious correspondent to Oxford, but the invitation was always declined. Finally stirred by curiosity, Murray himself went to visit Minor. What he found was shocking: Minor lived in Broadmoor asylum. He was a millionaire, an expert on the English language, and a qualified surgeon, but he was imprisoned as a lunatic for murder.

©1998 Simon Winchester (P)2005 W. F. Howes Ltd Historical True Crime Words, Language & Grammar
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Profile Image for Brendan

I really tried.

Couldn't finish it - it is just so dry. The research is incredible but it is just a collection of dates, names, and places. All the characters are well-to-do, educated men, so it's just a bunch of poshos writing back and forth to each other.

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