[tardygrad]

I found The Surgeon of Crowthorne by Simon Winchester to be a fascinating read about James Murray and how he came to write the OED.

It is ironic that the definitive book on the English language was compiled by an American, and that he made it while he was incarcerated in an asylum for murder just makes the tale more interesting.

Simon Winchester is an excellent storyteller and the Surgeon of Crowthorne is an entertaining and insightful book - highly recommended!

[s3r3nity]

If you enjoyed that, I highly recommend Winchester's "The Meaning of Everything," which goes into even more detail on all the historical editors of the OED, and their respective process in approaching the massive project. One of my favorite books I've ever read.