The story follows the monumental task of compiling the first edition of the OED, a project that took 70 years to complete. It centers on two main figures:
Facing an overwhelming workload, Murray issued a public call for volunteers to find the origins and usages of words. From his asylum cell, Dr. Minor became the project's most prolific volunteer, submitting more than over 20 years. The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester (2005) The Professor and the Madman
A retired American Civil War surgeon and Yale-educated physician who was confined to the Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum in England. The Unlikely Collaboration The story follows the monumental task of compiling