A Really Short History of Words

Adapted from Mother Tongue this stunningly illustrated book by Bill Bryson tells the story of English, from the first words ever spoken to the very first dictionaries.

Perfect for ages 8 to 80!

Every day, you do something incredible, and I bet you barely ever think about it: you speak.

But have you ever wondered why the English language turned out like it did? If so, this is the book for you. It will also answer some VERY important questions . . .

• Why do we have the Vikings to thank for words like glitter and sky?
• Why did LOL used to mean little old ladies?
• And why did no one know what majestic meant until Shakespeare came along?

In this epic journey through words, rhymes - and even a few jokes - Bill Bryson will teach you how the English language came to be and what makes it a rich and beautiful thing.

Get ready . . . because the story of the English language is an EXTRAORDINARY one.

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He is the author of eighteen books and holds the record of having the most bestsellers of any author on the Sunday Times bestseller list in the last fifty years. A Short History of Nearly Everything, first published in 2003, spent 106 weeks in the chart, won both the Aventis Prize and the Descartes Prize and is the biggest-selling popular science book of the twenty-first century.

Bill Bryson is a former Chancellor of Durham University and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. He lives in England.