The Secret History of Wonder Woman

Today’s post is on The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore. It is 410 pages long including notes and is published by Alfred A. Knopf. The cover has Wonder Woman on it changing from Diana Prince into Wonder Woman. The intended reader is someone who is interested in women’s history, comic books, and social change. There is talk of sex, some mild language, and no violence in this book. The story is told in third person with first person interviews, letters, and other firsthand documents. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A riveting work of historical detection revealing that the origins of one of the world’s most iconic superheroes hides within it a fascinating family story – and a crucial history of twentieth-century feminism.
Wonder Woman, created in 1941, is the most popular female superhero of all time. Aside from Superman and Batman, no superhero has lasted as long or commanded so vast and wildly passionate a following. Like every other superhero, Wonder Woman has a secret identity. Unlike every other superhero, she also has a secret history.
Harvard historian and New Yorker staff write Jill Lepore has uncovered an astonishing trove of documents, including the never-before-seen private papers of William Moulton Marston, Wonder Woman’s creator. Beginning in his undergraduate years at Harvard, Marston was influenced by early suffragists and feminists, starting with Emmeline Pankhurst, who was banned from speaking on campus in 1911, when Marston was a freshman. In the 1920s, Marston and his wife Sadie Elizabeth Holloway, brought into their home Olive Byrne, the niece of Margaret Sanger, one of the most influential feminists of the twentieth century. The Marston family story is a tale of drama, intrigue, and irony. In the 1930s, Masrston and Byrne wrote a regular column for Family Circle celebrating conventional family life, even as they themselves pursued lives of extraordinary nonconformity. Marston, internationally known as an expert on truth- he invented the lie detector test- lived a life secrets, only to spill them on the pages of Wonder Woman.
The Secret History of Wonder Woman is a tour de force of intellectual and cultural history. Wonder Woman, Lepore argues, is the missing link in the history of the struggle for women’s rights- a chain of events that begins with the women’s suffrage campaigns of the early 1900s and ends with the troubled place of feminism a century later.

Review- This was a great read. It was interesting, it was easy to follow, and it was full of history about Marston, his family, and feminism. I like Wonder Woman and all the history in it but I do not like Marston. He got to have it all and the women in his life are the ones who paid for it all. His wife Holloway was the only one who was employed the whole time. The history is great with lots of notes to add information and even give books for more reading. Marston was a odd feminist, he wanted women to be equal but when he would say or think things about women that are not always true like every woman wants to be mother or that all women enjoyed sexual submission and other things like that. All I could think was all the ways that women do not fit into his personal opinions. In the end I liked the history, I like Wonder Woman even more, but I dislike Marston quite a bit.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

XXXHolic volume 4

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 4 by CLAMP. It is 176 pages long and is published by Del Rey. As it is the fourth in the long series you need to have read the first three to understand the story. The cover has Yuko on the front and Watanuki on the back looking cool. The intended reader is someone who likes mythology, ghost stories, and great art. There is no sex, no language, and no violence in this volume. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- It's Valentine's Day- and while Domeki is showered with chocolates and cards from girls, Watanuki receives none. To make matters worse, he must also so the usual chores for Yuko, which includes making chocolate cake for her and Mokona, as well as the treats his boss wants to give away as gifts. But when Watanuki discovers he has a shy and secret admirer who is not quite human, he finds that chocolates can be more than just sweet.
Then, after seeing identical twin sisters pass by in the street, Yuko makes a curious remarks: that there are chains that only humans can use to bind others. Watanuki meets the sisters and senses that the relationship between them is not what it seems...

Review- More interesting world building. In this volume the power of words is on display. The power that we give words over us and the power of the words that we give others. Watanuki is getting some interesting character growth. He is becoming more compassionate to others. With all that his eyes can see, it takes thinking about what Yuko says and sees to him open up more to the world. Domeki is a key player this time too but he is more in the background of Watanuki's personal growth. The art is not only beautiful but it is also used to help make the character's pain more vivid. We are really starting to see the world open up to Watanuki, as he opens himself up more to it. The story about the sisters is very moving but disturbing. It has a lot to do with the way that others see themselves in relation to one person.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Girl with the Windup Heart

Today’s post is on The Girl with the Windup Heart by Kady Cross. It is the fourth in her Steampunk Chronicles. It is 396 pages long and is published by Harlequin Teen. The cover has one of the characters on it looking very pretty. The intended reader is someone who has read the other three, likes steampunk, and young adult. There is implied sex, mild language, and violence in this book. The story is told from the third person close of the main character’s moving from one to the next as the story progresses. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In 1897 London, a final showdown is about to begin.
London’s underworld is no place for a young woman, even one who is strong, smart and part-automaton like Mila. But when master criminal Jack Dandy inadvertently breaks her heart, she takes off, determined to find an independent life, one entirely her own. Her search takes her to the spangled shadows of the West End’s most dazzling circus.
Meanwhile, taken captive in the Aether, Griffin King is trapped in an inescapable prison, and at the mercy of his archenemy The Machinist. If he breaks under the hellish torment, The Machinist will claim his powers and control of the Aether itself, and no one in either world will be safe- especially not Finley Jayne and her misfit band of friends.
Finley plunges headlong into the Aether the only way she knows how, by temporarily dying. But she cannot parry The Machinist’s maneuvers for long. To defeat him for good, Griffin will have confront his greatest fear and finally come face to face with the destructive power he wields.

Review- I think that this is going to be the last book Cross’ Steampunk series. She wraps up the major problems from the first three books. The plot is very fast in this one everything happens in three days, with some flash backs for Jack and Mila. But they are not the many focus of the story. It is really about finishing off The Machinist and Griffin stop being afraid of his power. Even through the plots is so fast I was bored for much of this book. I think that is because Cross is done with this series. She may want to write more with these characters at a later point in their lives but she is done with this part. Also I never had an doubt about Griffin making it out alive or that Jack and Mila would make up. Maybe I am just too old to be reading this series.

I give this book Three stars out of Five. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope

Today's post is on Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope by Wendy Holden. It is 400 pages long and it published by HarperCollins. The cover is blue with two pieces of razor-wire and three birds on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in World War II history, women's history, and survival against all the odds. There is no language, no sex, and some violence in this book. The story is told from third person with first person interviews, letters, and other first hand resources. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A remarkable inspirational story about three expectant mothers who defied death at the hands of the Nazis to give their children life.
Among millions of Holocaust victims sent to Auschwitz II- Birkenau in 1944, Priska, Rachel, and Anka each pass throught its infamous gates with a secret. Strangers to each other, they are newly pregnant and facing an uncertain fate without their husbands. Alone, scared, and with so many loved ones already lost to the Nazis, these young women are privately determined to hold on to all they have left: their lives and those of their unborn babies.
That the gas chambers ran out of Zyklon B just after the babies were born, before they and their mothers could be exterminated, is just one of the several miracles that allowed them all to survive and rebuild their lives after World War II. Born Survivors follows the mothers' incredible journey- first to Auschwitz, where they each came under the scrutiny of Dr. Josef Mengele; then to a German slave-labor camp where, half-starved and almost worked to death, they struggled to conceal their condition; and finally, as the Allies closed in, their hellish train journey with thousands of other prisoners to the Mauthausen death camp in Austria.
Sixty-five years later, the three 'miracle babies' meet for the first time at Mauthausen for the anniversary of the American liberation. In Born Survivors, Wendy Holden brings all three stories together for the first time, to mark their seventieth birthdays and the seventieth anniversary of the ending of the war.

Review- -A heartbreaking but up-lifting story about survival. I think knowing that the women and babies survived helped to make this story bearable. The story is very intense and at times frightening. These women face some of the most terrifying men and environments known and they survive. Not only do they survive during but after they go on to have lives with their children, grand-children, and great-grand-children. The odds were against the women and their babies but they did it. With help from family or friends they survived. The children were born either on the way or in Mauthausen just days before the Allies freed them. The death toll that they survived is always there in the background. Holden will give how many people died each day before the Allies arrived. The little things that went their way or against the Nazis will. Everything that added up to the impossible and one incredible story.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I was given this book by HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.

XXXHolic volume 3

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 3 by CLAMP. It is the third in the series, so you need to have read the first two to understand the story. It is 176 pages long and is published by DEL REY. The cover has Yuko on it looking very pretty and wrapping around to Watanuki on the back. The intended reader is someone who likes Japanese mythology, ghost stories, and very pretty pictures. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kimihiro Watnuki is haunted by spirits- and the only way for him to escape his curse is to become the indentured servant of the mysterious witch Yuko Ichihara. But when Kimihiro's beloved, beautiful Himawari-chan, asks him for a favor, he and his eternal rival, the exorcist Domeki, must go on a spirit-busting adventure without Yuko there to save them!

Meanwhile, Yuko gives a young woman a precious cylindrical box from her treasure room. There's just one caveat: She must never open it. Inside is a magical device with a terrifying reputation! Can Kimihiro save an ambitious young lady from her own overconfidence?

Review- The two stories in volume are pretty creepy. Himawari asks for help because one of her friends is playing with dangerous things. It really deals with the power of suggestion and in Watanuki's world that makes things really happen and almost kill him. It is pretty creepy. The second story is about a monkey's paw. That story is not native to Japan but it fits very well into this world. With the woman making wishes and understanding how dangerous the paw is. You can see the ending coming but it is still shocking. There is a little ending story about Watanuki getting Oden noddles from a fox spirit and it very cute. Nice after this hair raising volume. Very little is done about Watanuki's eyes other than he uses them to help or at least try and help people. I like that Watanuki continues to try and help others even when he knows that they are not going to listen to him. More spirits and stuff coming up soon!

I give this one Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money many years ago.

The House of the Four Winds

Today's post is on The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory. It is the first in their One Dozen Daughters series. It is 300 pages long and is published by TOR. The cover is light blue with the main character wearing tricorn hat and smirking at the reader. The intended reader is a fan of either author, fun historical fantasy, and good writing. There is some mild language, no sex, and some violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- The tiny nation of Swansgaard is a lovely place with abundant natural resources, including the royal family, which has been blessed with twelve daughters and a son. As this boisterous baker's dozen approaches adulthood, the king and queen lovingly tell their daughters, “You must make your own fortune, for we cannot enrich you without impoverishing out people or leaving our lands defenseless, and that we will not do.”

Happily, the princesses of Swansgaard are eager to meet this challenge, for they yearn for adventures both near and far from home.
Clarice, an expert swordwoman, is the first to depart. Disguising herself as Clarence, she signs on for a voyage to the New World. The captain is vile and black-hearted, and the crew soon mutinies. Clarice becomes the first mate- and finds her heart captured by the new captain, Dominick, who is, to own surprise, increasingly attracted to Clarence.
Now outlaws, Dominick and his crew turn to piracy- though their hearts are not entirely in it. They soon run afoul the Pirate Council, who orders them to retrieve the Heart of Light. All who have searched for this great treasure have vanished, with neither ships nor crew ever seen again and no sign of their fates ever discovered.
But none before have carried with the sorceress Shamal, who stakes a claim of her own on Dominick's heart.

Review- This was a fun start to a new series. With two good authors that I have read and loved for many years I expected nothing less. The characters are interesting, the dialog sharp, and the plot twists are good. Having read both Lackey and Mallory before I have a general idea about what to expect from this novel. I was and was not wrong. Some of the plot twists I did not see coming. Like how the villain is defeated. The world building is good, this world is like ours but just a little off. It is really alternate historical fantasy, which I found to be fun. Lackey and Mallory do not reinvent the genre but the book is good. It was a very quick and enjoyable read. So if you are a fan of either writer, I can strongly say that you will enjoy this book.
 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, And Madness from Romanov Russia

Today's post is on Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, And Madness from Romanov Russia by Michael Farquhar. It is 349 pages long and is published by Random House. The cover is illustrated pictures of the various Romanov Tsars. The intended reader is someone who likes history, and Russian history. There is some language, sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from third person perspective with letters, dairies, and other first hand resources for added depth. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Scandal! Intrigue! Cossacks! Here the world's most engaging royal historian chronicles the world's most fascinating imperial dynasty: the Romanovs, whose three-hundred-year reign was remarkable for its shocking violence, spectacular excess, and unimaginable venality. In this incredibly entertaining history, Michael Farquhar collects the best, most captivating true tales of Romanov iniquity. We meet Catherine the Great, with her end-less parade of virile young lovers (none of them of the equine variety); her unhinged son, Paul I, who ordered the bones of one of his mother's paramours dug out of its grave and tossed into a gorge; and Grigori Rasputin, the “Mad Monk,” whose mesmeric domination of the last of the Romanov tsars helped lead to the monarchy's undoing. From Peter the Great's penchant for personally beheading his recalcitrant subjects (he kept the severed head of one of his mistresses pickled in alcohol) to Nicholas and Alexandra's brutal demise at the hands of the Bolsheviks, Secret Live of the Tsars captures all the splendor and infamy that was Imperial Russia.

Review- These stories about the Romanovs are funny, heartbreaking, tragic, and blood-thirsty. I liked a lot about this book but the biggest thing that I liked was that Farquhar traced each ruler from birth to death. He does not overwhelm the reader with all the little details of their lives but in the end I have a good basic grounding about their lives and reign. This book is very well written and the research is excellent. Farquhar not only gives a good grounding in the Romanov family but in Russia as well. He talks about why Russia was and is the way that it is to this day. Farquhar clearly loves his job and it shows in his work. The passion to detail, the little footnotes for added favor, and the end notes for further reading everything is just wonderful. The footnotes do what I think that footnotes should do which is just add a little extra something to the narrative. I will be picking up another of his books to read.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

XXXHolic volume 2

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 2 by CLAMP. As it is the second in the long series you need to have read the first one to understand the story. It is 178 pages long and is published by DEL REY. The cover is beautiful and has Yuko on it. The intended reader is someone who likes mythology, ghosts, and other things that do bump in the night. There is no sex, some mild language, and no violence in this manga. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective only. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Watch out for Witches.

Kimihiro Waranuki thought he had signed up with a bunch of weirdos, and he was right! He become the unfortunate indentured servant of a woman known as Yuko Ichihara, who was widely rumored to be the time-space witch. Now his voyage through the world of the occult are off and running, as he and Yuko go visiting fortune-tellers and horoscope readers. But can the future really be told?
Meanwhile, the romance is heating up between Kimihiro and cute Himawari-chan. Then fate throw's Kimihiro's old rival back into his life. Now Yuko invites all three to a temple to tell scary stories throughout the night. Is it just for fun or is there some deeper reason?

Review- We are now getting to the meat of the story. In this volume Watanuki's spiritual eyes do not cause him much trouble but Yuko makes up for that. In this volume we also meet more of the main cast of character's. Watanuki's rival is only a rival because Watanuki thinks that he is. In truth Domeki is a friend who likes to give Watnuki trouble. The ghost stories are fun, especially if you like mythology like I do. Again that index in the back of the book is very useful because it explains the finer details about Japan and its very unique culture. Of course the art is just wonderful. I love that in DEL REY gives full color inserts for the first couple of pages. It just makes the art really pop. More ghost stuff coming up soon!

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money years ago.

The Cure for Dreaming

Today's post is on The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters. It is a standalone novel. It is 342 pages long and is published by Amulet. The cover has the main character floating as she is hypnotized. There is no sex, some language, and some violence in this book. The intended reader is young adult but Winters is an excellent writer so if the plot sounds interesting to you give it a try. The story is told from the first person perspective of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- On October 31, 1900 the mesmerizing Henri Reverie will perform his hypnotic feats.

Stand when Commanded!
Speak when Commanded!
Think when Commanded!
Let Monsieur Reverie control your mind & who knows what you will see...
Olivia Mead's father wants to eliminate her rebellious thoughts. But the hypnotist he hires to stamp out her independence ends up giving her the ability to see people as they really are.
Monsters. Victims. Madmen. Friends.
Terrifying and enlightening, Olivia's visions tell her who is trustworthy and who is dangerous. But only she can find a way to make her mind her own again.

Review- This is a historical book hiding as a historical fantasy. That said I really enjoyed this book. The writing was very good, the dialog excellent, and the plot not too bad. The thing weak part for me was the villain. Olivia's father is the villain. He wants his daughter to be safe and he thinks that means she needs to get married and have children. So he pays Henri to take the fight out of her. It does not work the way he wanted and Olivia almost gets raped. But her father does not learn his lesson. In the end she leaves him and her home to be with her mother. I think that her father was just a placeholder for the story about women getting the vote. That is what this book is really about. It is well researched about that topic. I did enjoy the real plot but the blurb does not talk about that all. But good read anyway.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back

Today's post is on When Men Become Gods: Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, and the Women Who Fought Back by Stephen Singular. It is 291 pages long and is published by St. Martin's Press. The cover has some woman dressed like pioneers on bottom and the beautiful mountains on the top. The intended reader is someone interested a more third party look at the Jeffs case. There is some language, talk of rape and child abuse, and violence in this book. The story is told in a third person way with information coming from all sides of this cult and crime. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- As the leader and self-proclaimed prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints, a sect of Mormonism based on isolates southern Utah, Warren Jeffs held sway over thousands of followers for nearly a decade. His rule was utterly tyrannical. In addition to coercing young girls into polygamous marriages with older men, Jeffs reputedly took scores of wives, many of whom were his father's widows. Television, radio, and newspapers were shunned, creating a hidden community where polygamy was prized above all else.
But in 2007, after a two-year manhunt that landed him on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, Jeffs's reign was forcefully ended. He was convicted of rape as an accomplice for his role in arranging a marriage between a fourteen-year-old girl and her nineteen-year-old first cousin.
In When Men Become Gods, Edgar Award nominee Stephen Singular traces Jeffs's rise to power and the concerted effort that led to his downfall. His arrest and trail were spurred on by law enforcement, private investigators, the Feds, and, perhaps most vocal of all, a group of former polygamist wives seeking to liberate young women from the arranged marriages they'd once endured. The book offers revelations into a nearly impenetrable enclave- a place of nineteenth-century attire, inbreeding, and eerie seclusion- providing readers with a rare glimpse into a bizarre tradition that's almost a century old, but that had only now been exposed.

Review- This is the third book I have read about Warren Jeffs and his insanity. In way it was very good because it gives the reader a very broad look at that world. We get insight from people who lived in that world, are still living in it, and the outsiders who interacted with them. On the other hand it was disappointing because it does not go into what got Jeffs convicted; which is an audio tape of him raping an eleven-year-old girl. Now Jeffs did not and does not see it as rape, because he was 'marrying' her but it was rape. Singular does not do more than touch the YFZ ranch where law enforcement found everything that was needed to destroy him. I do not know why that was not touched on. So I really enjoyed this book until the end when it really just stops. So if you are interested in learning about how things started then try this book. But if you want the ending then try something else.

I give this book a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

XXXholic volume 1

Today's post is on XXXholic volume 1 by CLAMP. It is published by DEL REY and is 176 pages long. The cover has the two main character looking smokey and mysterious. The intended reader is someone who is interested in huge plots, interesting characters, and very beautiful art. There is no language, no sex, and no violence. The story is told in third person but it sticks with Watanuki so we see what he sees. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuko, who claims that she can help. In desperation he accepts, but realizes that he's just been tricked into working for Yuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he's employed in her little shop- a job that turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!

Most of Yuko's customer's live in Japan, but Yuko and Watanuki are about to have some unusual visitors named Sakura and Syaoran from a land called Clow...

Review- In my great re-read slash finish for the first time I have just bought all of XXXHolic. I love the authors/artists CLAMP. The manga is full of Japanese lore and legends so I loved all the volumes that I had read. In this we get an idea about the world that Watanuki lives in. He is tormented by ghost and other spirits all his life. Yuko does explain that she can free him of this but she does not tell him how much that would cost. A lot of money but since Watanuki is a student without any family the way he can pay her is to work for her. Of course there is more going on than that and Yuko knows it. The art is some of the most beautiful of CLAMP's in my opinion. I look forward to going on this journey with Watanuki all the way to the end this time.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Costume Not Included

Today's post is on Costume Not Included by Matthew Hughes. It is the second in his To Hell & Back series. It is 378 pages long and is published by Angry Robot Publishing. The cover is great; it has scenes from the book in comic book style. With Chesney and his demon at the top and Jesus and the Devil on the bottom. There is sex (not graphic), language, and some odd violence in this book. The intended reader as read the first book, is not easily offended, and likes meta plots. The story is told from third person close of the main characters moving from to the other has the story moves. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Chesney Arnstruther's efforts to Save the Day and Get the Girl are making slow progress. This superhero stuff is more complicated than he first thought, even with a cigar-chomping demon for a sidekick.

But even as Chesney is trying to learn the ropes, Boss Greenley has made a deal with the Devil, a pact that is making the villain stronger by the minute. Meanwhile, Reverend Hardacre has been doing some research into matters spiritual and has found that not everything in the Garden of (Eden) is rosy.
It's book two of the acclaimed To Hell & Back saga, the uproarious fantasy of part-time superheros and wayward deities from the pen of Philip K. Dick Award nominee Matthew Hughes.

Review- The blurb is misleading for this book. Boss Greenley is just a minor background character. He may end up a bigger deal in the last book but the real plot is going with Hardacre and Jesus. Hardacre wants to be the most important man of his age or at least this chapter in the book that God is writing. So he tries to end the world. Chesney has to stop him and the Devil from doing that. One of the funniest scenes is when Jesus is meeting with a TV news reporter and he casts out the demons in the man. It was great. This book is not as funny as the first one but there is more character growth all around. Chesney gets a lot which is good as he is the main character. But his mother, his girlfriend, and even Hardacre get good growth. If you have read the first book then you need to continue with this series. If you have not you need to. It is really great.

I give this book a Four of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with own money.

The Professor and The Madman

Today's post is on The Professor and The Madman by Simon Winchester. It is 242 pages long including notes and is published by Harper Perennial. The cover is a picture of Dr. W. C. Minor. The intended reader is someone interested in history, language arts, and how things are made. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from a third person voice with first person letters, journals, and newspaper articles for added depth. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The Professor and The Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary- and literary history. The compilation of the OED, begun in 1857 was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than then thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.

Review- An interesting and tragic tale about one man's madness and how it served the world. Dr. Minor is really very tragic. Winchester does good work making him pitiable. The research that Winchester does in both men, gives the reader a deeper understanding about the world they lived in. Winchester traces both men from childhood all way to their deaths. He gives the reader insight into why Murray wanted to work on the OED and into the very frightening world that Minor lived in. The writing is great, easy to understand, and full of compassion for Minor. The notes are just notes. nothing great but useful if you want to use them. This book is a fast read, so if you are looking for something quick and engaging try this one.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.