The Professor and the Madman

图书标准信息

• 作者 Simon Winchester 著
• 出版社 HarperCollins US
• 出版时间 1998-09
• 版次 1
• ISBN 9780060175962
• 定价 163.70元
• 装帧 精装
• 开本 其他
• 纸张 其他
• 页数 256页
• 正文语种 英语

【内容简介】

Mysterious(mistie-ries),a.f.L.mysteriumMysteryi]ous.Cf.F.mysterieux.]1.Fulloforfraughtwithmystery;wraptinmystery;hiddenfromhumanknowledgeorunderstanding;impossibleordifficulttoexplain,solve,ordiscover;ofobscureorigin,nature,orpurpose.ItisknownasoneofthegreatestliteraryachievementsinthehistoryofEnglishletters.Thecreationofthe"OxfordEnglishDictionary"beganin1857,tookseventyyearstocomplete,drewfromtensofthousandsofbrilliantminds,andorganizedthesprawlinglanguageinto414,825precisedefinitions.Buthiddenwithintheritualsofitscreationisafascinatingandmysteriousstory--astoryoftworemarkablemenwhosestrangetwenty-yearrelationshipliesatthecoreofthishistoricundertaking.ProfessorJamesMurray,anastonishinglylearnedformerschoolmasterandbankclerk,wasthedistinguishededitorofthe"OED"project.Dr.WilliamChesterMinor,anAmericansurgeonfromNewHaven,Connecticut,whohadservedintheCivilWar,wasoneofthousandsofcontributorswhosubmittedillustrativequotationsofwordstobeusedinthedictionary.ButMinorwasnoordinarycontributor.Hewasremarkablyprolific,sendingthousandsofneat,handwrittenquotationsfromhishomeinthesmallvillageofCrowthorne,fiftymilesfromOxford.OnnumerousoccasionsMurrayinvitedMinortovisitOxfordandcelebratehiswork,butMurray'sofferwasregularly--andmysteriously--refused.Thusthetwomen,fortwodecades,maintainedacloserelationshiponlythroughcorrespondence.Finally,in1896,afterMinorhadsentnearlytenthousanddefinitionstothedictionarybuthadstillnevertraveledfromhishome,apuzzledMurraysetouttovisithim.ItwasthenthatMurrayfinallylearnedthetruthaboutMinor--that,inadditiontobeingamasterfulwordsmith,Minorwasalsoamurderer,clinicallyinsane--andlockedupinBroadmoor,England'sharshestasylumforcriminallunatics."TheProfessorandtheMadman"isanextraordinarytaleofmadnessandgenius,andtheincredibleobsessionsoftwomenattheheartofthe"OxfordEnglishDictionary"andliteraryhistory.Withrivetinginsightanddetail,SimonWinchestercraftsafascinatingglimpseintooneman'storturedmindandhiscontributiontoanotherman'smagnificentdictionary.

【作者简介】

SimonWinchesteristheacclaimedauthorofmanybooks,includingTheProfessorandtheMadman,TheManWhoLovedChina,ACrackintheEdgeoftheWorld,andKrakatoa.ThosebookswereNewYorkTimesbestsellersandappearedonnumerousbestandnotablelists.In2006,Mr.WinchesterwasmadeanofficeroftheOrderoftheBritishEmpire(OBE)byherMajestytheQueen.HelivesinManhattanandinwesternMassachusetts.