Special Super-Delayed Review Editions, Vol. 2

The Surgeon of Crowthorne, by Simon Winchester

A non-fiction book, the Surgeon of Crowthorne is concerned with the origins of the ultra-ubiquitous Oxford English Dictionary. Perhaps the most respected reference book of all time ("Yo Brittanica, you got some great facts, imma let you finish..."), it was also the first to be constructed around quotations from actual usage, aiming to cover everything in the language. I found all the background on the history of dictionaries very interesting since I didn't really know anything about it beforehand, but Mr. Foulkes said he already knew most of it so if you're an expert in dictionaries it may not be the best reading.

The major focus is of course on the eponymous surgeon, a mentally ill man who started as an American civil war medic and ended up shooting a man in London and being sent to an asylum. From there he sent massive wads of quotations to the dictionary's editors, who were for a long time unaware that this helpful character was in an asylum. Although the story centres on this strange character I'd say at least half of the book describes the process of the dictionary being made with him somewhat in the background. It is amazing that such a respected and seemingly conventional and boring reference book has this weird, almost unbelievable character attached to it, and after reading the book the dictionary itself appears much more interesting than I previously thought.

The Surgeon of Crowthorne is competently written, but really is more like a giant magazine article than a piece of literature. As such there's not really too much more I can say about this particular Popular Penguin. It's a really strange and interesting story told in a mostly factual way about an unusual topic. I enjoyed it, but Poms threatened severe violence to anyone ranking the book above a 0/10, so you'll have to decide for yourself!