The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary, by Simon Winchester

I had heard about this book when it was first published back in 1999. I was interested but never got around to picking it up until I was at the local library browsing the non-fiction section. I became quite excited, and immediately checked it out. On our vacation to West Virginia I was able to read it.

I love history, and although the history of the writing of a dictionary may seem like a dull subject, it wasn't at all! Even without the "murder and insanity" it was an interesting story. It gave me an entirely different view on the mutability english language, there just weren't comprehensive dictionaries before this on, imagine how much work went into creating such a massive book! This book even sparked my interest in Doctor Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, which was published in 1755 and was the standard dictionary for over 150 years.

This book was amazing, and I'll defiantely be buying a copy for my home library. Who knew dictionaries were so interesting?