The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Oxford English Dictionary

One of the most extraordinary true stories you'll ever read: the tale of Dr W.C. Minor, an American Civil War surgeon confined to an asylum for murder, who became one of the most prolific contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary. Simon Winchester weaves together Victorian crime, psychiatric history, and the obsessive quest to document every word in the English language. Perfect for lovers of narrative non-fiction, linguistic history, and utterly compelling human stories.