Afterword by the author
A new Folio Society edition of eminent linguist David Crystal’s commanding history shows how English turned into a rich, diverse global language, spoken by well over two billion people.
This is a book about the real stories of English, which have never, in their entirety, been told.
How did a language spoken by a few thousand Anglo Saxons grow into one used by more than two billion people across the world? In this landmark work, one of the world’s foremost linguists puts forward a convincing answer. Authoritative and always entertaining, The Stories of English traces the history of a language of amazing richness and variety.
The new Folio edition brings the story right up to date: a new afterword by the author deals with the impact of digital technology and social media on our ever-evolving language, and the edition includes an exclusive bookmark with a key to the phonetic symbols used in the text. The book is elegantly presented, with a distinctive cover design by Alan Kitching – one of Britain’s most distinguished typographic designers.
Bound in screen-printed and blocked cloth with a design by Alan Kitching
Set in Athelas
736 pages
11 black & white integrated illustrations, 12 black & white maps
Bookmark
Plain slipcase
10˝ x 6¾˝
well written. very interesting
Review by EDWARD DABROWSKI on 27th June 2024
This is the best linguistic history out there. Open it up anywhere and just read. A bit expensive, though.
Review by Michael Tyson on 30th April 2023
Expensive but a beautiful product.
Review by MR DAVID HYNES on 20th March 2023
high quality, but a bit heavy
Review by Mr Chi Him Chan on 8th March 2023
Interesting text and well made book
Review by MR PAUL HUEBSCHER on 24th February 2023
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