The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester
The core of the book is the fascinating human story of Dr W.C. Minor, and how he made incalculable contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary from his rather unusual dwelling: Broadmoor lunatic asylum. However the book also covers the wider history of dictionaries, and the OED in particular. All this is very well told by Winchester.
★★★★★ 5/5 stars