The Professor and the Madman
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The Professor and the Madman
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Narrated by:
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Simon Winchester
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Written by:
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Simon Winchester
About this listen
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- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 10
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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In 1793 William Smith, a canal digger, made a startling discovery that was to turn the fledgling science of the history of the earth - and a central plank of established Christian religion - on its head. He noticed that the rocks he was excavating were arranged in layers; more important, he could see quite clearly that the fossils found in one layer were very different from those found in another. And out of that realization came an epiphany.
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- How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World
- Written by: Simon Winchester
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- Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 9
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 8
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Story5 out of 5 stars 8
Land - whether meadow or mountainside, desert or peat bog, parkland or pasture, suburb or city - is central to our existence. It quite literally underlies and underpins everything. Employing the keen intellect, insatiable curiosity, and narrative verve that are the foundations of his previous bestselling works, Simon Winchester examines what we human beings are doing - and have done - with the billions of acres that together make up the solid surface of our planet.
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Knowing What We Know
- The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic
- Written by: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 6
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Story5 out of 5 stars 6
From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds. Throughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming. What good is all this knowledge if it leads to lack of thought? What is information without wisdom?
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4 out of 5 stars
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Knowing
- By Paul on 2023-06-23
Written by: Simon Winchester
-
Atlantic
- Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms,and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories
- Written by: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 12
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues profoundly to affect our character, attitudes, and dreams. Spanning the ocean's story, from its geological origins to the age of exploration, from World War II battles to today's struggles with pollution and overfishing, Winchester's narrative is epic, intimate, and awe inspiring.
Written by: Simon Winchester
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The Men Who United the States
- America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics, and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible
- Written by: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
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Story5 out of 5 stars 5
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What the critics say
"The linguistic detective story of the decade." (New York Times Magazine)
What listeners say about The Professor and the Madman
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeremy C.
- 2021-12-10
ITS SO BAD
so bad don't read this book do yourself a favour and just read dictionaries only never books
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roberta W
- 2019-12-09
A fascinating read!
I finished this book months ago, but it feels like yesterday... the story is that memorable. If you think you have an idea how the original dictionaries were created, think again. This book will blow your mind. It does move a bit slow at times, but I could put up with it, given the surprises that it contains. There are lovely word interludes, giving insight to how the definitions of certain words were created. And, yes, there IS a madman at the centre of the story.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ashley G.
- 2020-04-22
Thumbs up from this word nerd! :-)
So happy to see books on this topic being offered - I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. Simon Winchester told a fascinating story of murder and madness. He also highlighted the painstaking efforts sustained for over half a century that were involved in the creation of the English Oxford Dictionary. Simon Winchester’s voice is pleasing and easy to listen to. A great audio book all around. Thanks so much!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mentally Guitarded
- 2020-04-23
Proper Heavy
As an artist, I often juggle the balance between torture and talent. This novel encapsulates it completely. It left me felling educated, humbled and appreciative.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- anne deleurme
- 2019-07-24
best yet thank you simon Winchester
great always enjoy your narrations - like this book better than a crak in the edge of the world (previously my first favorite)
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- celia gjosund
- 2024-01-23
just so interesting , full of so many facts
so interesting. i fid not know how long it has taken to write the Oxford dictionary, and the complex methods of collecting words. the dtory od Dr Miner just gives another fascinating input for Oxford. excellent resd
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