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

As written by Simon Winchester, here is a factual account of the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary intermixed with a superb mystery tale. Although it took seventy years to produce, with the assistance of thousands of learned individuals writing the definitions and tracings of over four hundred thousand words, two men were instrumental in producing a greater part of this multi-volume masterpiece. They were Professor James Murphy, editor of the dictionary for over thirty years, and Dr. William Chester Minor, an American surgeon and veteran of the Civil War, who contributed over 10,000 definitions to the work. Both of these men resembled one another in their devotion to their study of the English language. However, the mystery arose in that for twenty years, Dr. Minor refused to meet with Professor Murphy to discuss their work. When the professor finally travelled to meet the doctor, he discovered that Dr. Minor was a criminally insane murderer incarcerated in the criminal lunatic asylum of Broadmoor. It was to Dr. Minor’s advantage that his scholarly involvement in the dictionary’s creation was a balancing force in his life; it was to Professor Murphy's benefit that Dr. Minor's work contributed so much to the dictionary.

This book provides an analysis of several subjects: the design of the English language, the history of dictionaries, and the treatment of mental illness in the nineteenth century. It also offers the reader a closer view of the passions and obsessions of two brilliant men.

Dashing Through the Snow

Mother and daughter suspense writers Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark team up again for another Christmas-holiday novel. Writing in their usual light mystery/romance style, the Clarks revisit some of their favorite characters: lottery winner/amateur sleuth Alvirah Meehan and her husband Willy, and private investigator Regan Reilly and her NYPD officer husband Jack. This time around, while visiting a quaint New Hampshire village celebrating its first annual “Festival of Joy”, they become involved with a local mystery: a man has disappeared shortly before it is discovered that he shares a winning lottery ticket with his co-workers. It is determined that he has been abducted. The kidnappers are con men who find themselves in over their heads when some really nasty hard-core criminals take over the job. Not to worry; a rescue ensues and all ends happily.

Loving Frank: A Novel

This is a fictionalized account of the continuing romantic relationship between the innovative architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney, an educated upper middle class matron who at first was a client of his. Author Nancy Horan combines in-depth research (unfortunately there is a limited amount of source material) with imagination to depict Cheney and Wright’s physical and emotional desires and how they conflicted with their fractured family relationships and the humiliation endured by both in the early 20th century Midwestern society. Cheney’s character is well-developed and sympathetic; Wright’s character is more self-centered. What would be a routine story of adultery and divorce in today’s world takes on an aura of tragedy.

Afternoon Book Discussions

Join us once a month, on a Wednesday afternoon from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, to discuss a fiction or non-fiction book selection. Coffee, tea and cookies are served. Books are available at the Circulation Desk three weeks before the discussion date. Our schedule is:

Wednesday, January 21st
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

Wednesday, February 18th
Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Letham

Wednesday, March 18th (postponed from an earlier date)
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything across Italy, India and Indonesia

Wednesday, April 15th
Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt

Wednesday, May 20th
Persuasion by Jane Austen

Wednesday, June 17th
The 10th Circle by Jodi Picoult

Life of Pi: A Novel

Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel, is the story of a boy’s journey and triumph despite incredible odds. Piscine Patel (self dubbed Pi) sets out by freighter with his family who is relocating to America. Along the way Pi’s ship is destroyed. He ends up trapped in a life boat with a handful of wild animals. Pi is forced to live off the sea with only his wits and an old survival manual to guide him. Life of Pi shows us the power of the human mind to overcome, despite the horrors and turmoil inflicted on it.

Similar Authors: Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and Paulo Coelho

Read-alike: Lost Horizon by James Hilton, Poseidon Adventures by Paul Gallico, Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Bones: An Alex Delaware Novel

This is the latest in the bestselling Alex Delaware series written by Jonathan Kellerman. Psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware and LAPD Lt. Milo Sturgis team up again to solve a string of murders. When a young woman’s body is discovered, minus one hand, out in the open at an endangered marshland, detectives quickly investigate and unearth bodies of other young women similarly mutilated. Is this the work of a serial killer? Or is it a ruse to deter the investigators from uncovering a more heinous crime. Join the two men as they unravel the knots in this mystery, relying on Milo’s perseverance and Alex’s skills in psychological analysis.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Share the experiences of breast cancer patients and survivors by reading these books.

Cancer Is a Bitch: (Or, I'd Rather Be Having a Midlife Crisis)
Written by Gail Konop Baker, who is a forty-six-year-old mother of three, doctor's wife, runner, and writer. She describes her fight against breast cancer, relating how she spent a year in treatment in her struggle to get back to the life she loved.

Choices in Breast Cancer Treatment: Medical Specialists and Cancer Survivors Tell You What You Need to Know
Edited by Kenneth D. Miller, this is an authoritative resource for women everywhere. After a lengthy description of breast cancer and its treatments, the remainder of the book deals with the personal experiences of breast cancer as shared by several women.

Lopsided: How Having Breast Cancer Can Be Really Distracting
A memoir by Meredith Norton, an African-American woman, married to a Frenchman, whose disease is misdiagnosed in France. Returning to California, she describes her experiences with chemotherapy, double mastectomy and radiation treatments, and her fight against self-pity.

I Am Not My Breast Cancer : Women Talk Openly About Love & Sex, Hair Loss & Weight Gain, Mothers & Daughters, and Being a Woman With Breast Cancer
Ruth Peltason, an editor and breast cancer survivor, founded and hosted the “First Person Plural” Web site project, an online forum for women facing the disease. Their dialogue provides the content for this book, culled from the entries of 800 women across the U.S. and around the world.