Saturday, November 18, 2006
The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester
A very readable and fascinating slice of history. This book tells the story of the creation of the first Oxford English Dictionary, its editor Dr James Murray, and Dr william Minor, who contributed thousands of words, definitions and quotations from his cell at Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane. I was thoroughly engrossed in the tale. Winchester has given us a vivid glimpse into madness and lexicography that is both gripping and moving.
I tried reading Iain Banks's Espedair Street a couple of weeks ago but got bored and gave up halfway through. The comment from Chris (below) makes me think I should have maybe persevered, but it seemed to me that nothing much was happening. I got the impression that it was a midlife crisis book from Banks - it was written from the perspective of an ex-rockstar, looking back over his life. I kept expecting something to happen but by the middle of the book it hadn't so I put it back on the shelf and started Winchester's book (above).
A very readable and fascinating slice of history. This book tells the story of the creation of the first Oxford English Dictionary, its editor Dr James Murray, and Dr william Minor, who contributed thousands of words, definitions and quotations from his cell at Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane. I was thoroughly engrossed in the tale. Winchester has given us a vivid glimpse into madness and lexicography that is both gripping and moving.
I tried reading Iain Banks's Espedair Street a couple of weeks ago but got bored and gave up halfway through. The comment from Chris (below) makes me think I should have maybe persevered, but it seemed to me that nothing much was happening. I got the impression that it was a midlife crisis book from Banks - it was written from the perspective of an ex-rockstar, looking back over his life. I kept expecting something to happen but by the middle of the book it hadn't so I put it back on the shelf and started Winchester's book (above).
