Language: History & General Works

This story of the life of Jesus is told in Gaelic by an author whose love of God and of the Gaelic language shine through every page. Suitable for ...

Did you know that the word 'prestige' derives from the Latin word for 'illusion'? Or that 'infantry' stems from a Latin word meaning one who could ...

A funny and entertaining history of printed books as told through absurd moments in the lives of authors and printers, collected by televisions fav...

Bestseller & Winner of the Popular Non-Fiction Irish Book Award. 'Thought-provoking, irreverent and often laugh-out-loud hilarious' Irish Inde...

The Irish language has made a huge contribution to the English language as its spoken in Ireland and beyond. Micheál Ó Conghaile's 'Colourful Iris...

Irish history and folklore is rich with proverbs and sayings of old, full of timeless wisdom that still has resonance and truth today. This beautif...

Did you know that . . . a soldier's biggest social blunder is called jack brew - making yourself a cuppa without making one for anyone else? That t...

Matthew Battles explores the questions of why writing exists and what it means to those who write. Born from the interplay of natural and cultural ...

This textbook provides a step-by-step introduction to the history of the English language (HEL), offering a fresh perspective on the process of lan...

This textbook provides a step-by-step introduction to the history of the English language (HEL), offering a fresh perspective on the process of lan...

A charming and indispensable tour of two thousand years of the written word, Shady Characters weaves a fascinating trail across the parallel histor...

'Stuffed with entertaining detail ... Horrible Words is lively, provocative, witty and enlightening' The TimesNothing inflames the language purists...

How many languages are there? What differentiates one language from another? Are new languages still being discovered? Why are so many languages di...

A collection of essays, originating from papers given at the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies conference held at the University of Manche...

This practical introduction to word history investigates every aspect of where words come from and how they change. Philip Durkin, chief etymologis...

In every walk of life, from relationships, to work, to politics, sport and the news, our everyday use of English harbours duplicities of meaning. W...

English in the World: History, Diversity, Change examines the English language as it has developed through history and is used across the globe tod...

Does absence really make the heart grow fonder?Can beggars be choosers?Is it always better late than never?Proverbs are short, well-known, pithy sa...

Spellbound considers the history of English spelling and provides suggestions for modern day reform of its irregularities.The first half of the boo...

Latin inscriptions can appear daunting a jumble of letters without any structure or meaning. However, once you know how, most are easy to read as ...

Wordsmiths and Warriors explores the heritage of English through the places in Britain that shaped it. It unites the warriors, whose invasions tran...

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER THE ETYMOLOGICON.'Reading The Horologicon in one sitting is very tempting' Roland White, ...

Persuasively argues that our fixation with writing by hand is driven more by emotion than evidence, as it is perceived to be inextricably linked to...

A charming, attractively illustrated collection of household sayings with their origins and meanings.Mothballs and Elbow Grease explores the impact...

This new edition of Garner's Dictionary of Legal Usage marshals and analyses the modern legal vocabulary more thoroughly than any other contemporar...

The ideal gift for anyone interested in language, geography and people. We communicate through the spoken and written word and language h...

Maybe you've been speaking English all your life, or maybe you learned it later on. But whether you use it just well enough to get your daily busin...

A model of popular-science writing STEVEN POOLEI love a book that teaches me things I didn't know while provoking in me thoughts I never had before...

This is a book about languages and the people who love them. Sophie Hardach is here to guide us through the strange and wonderful ways that human...

From late antiquity through to the early middle ages, people across north-western Europe were inscribing runes on a range of different objects. Onc...

GRAB A BUMPER, FORGET YOUR FANTEEGS, AND ROAM AT A FOOT-PACE THROUGH THE TWISTY ALLEYWAYS OF THE VICTORIAN VERNACULAR!What larks! Dive into the wor...