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THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER 'Witty and erudite ...
stuffed with the kind of arcane information that nobody strictly
needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn nonetheless.' Nick
Duerden, Independent. 'Particularly good ... Forsyth takes words
and draws us into their, and our, murky history.' William Leith,
Evening Standard. The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald,
frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret
labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language. What is the
actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links
church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or
brackets to codpieces? Mark Forsyth's riotous celebration of the
idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a
classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a
must-read for word-lovers everywhere. 'Highly recommended'
Spectator
A NEW, BEAUTIFULLY ILLUSTRATED HARDBACK EDITION OF THE SUNDAY TIMES
NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER, PUBLISHED ON ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY. 'Witty
and erudite ... stuffed with the kind of arcane information that
nobody strictly needs to know, but which is a pleasure to learn
nonetheless.' Nick Duerden, Independent. 'Particularly good ...
Forsyth takes words and draws us into their, and our, murky
history.' William Leith, Evening Standard. The Etymologicon is an
occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided
tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English
language. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and
gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California
to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? Mark Forsyth's riotous
celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections
between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating
information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere. 'Highly
recommended' Spectator
FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER THE
ETYMOLOGICON. 'Reading The Horologicon in one sitting is very
tempting' Roland White, Sunday Times. Mark Forsyth presents a
delightfully eccentric day in the life of unusual, beautiful and
forgotten English words. From uhtceare in the hours before dawn
through to dream drumbles at bedtime, The Horologicon gives you the
extraordinary lost words you never knew you needed. Wake up feeling
rough? Then you're philogrobolized. Pretending to work? That's
fudgelling (which may lead to rizzling if you feel sleepy after
lunch). A Radio 4 Book of the Week, The Horologicon is an
eye-opening, page-turning celebration of the English language at
its most endearingly arcane.
Mark Forsyth - author of the Sunday Times Number One bestseller The
Etymologicon - reveals in this essay, specially commissioned for
Independent Booksellers Week, the most valuable thing about a
really good bookshop. Along the way he considers the wisdom of
Donald Rumsfeld, naughty French photographs, why Elizabeth Bennet
and Mr Darcy would never have met online, and why only a bookshop
can give you that precious thing - what you never knew you were
looking for.
From classic poetry to pop lyrics, from Charles Dickens to Dolly
Parton, even from Jesus to James Bond, Mark Forsyth explains the
secrets that make a phrase--such as "O Captain My Captain " or "To
be or not to be"--memorable.
In his inimitably entertaining and wonderfully witty style, he
takes apart famous phrases and shows how you too can write like
Shakespeare or quip like Oscar Wilde. Whether you're aiming to
achieve literary immortality or just hoping to deliver the perfect
one-liner, "The Elements of Eloquence "proves that you don't need
to have anything important to say--you simply need to say it well.
In an age unhealthily obsessed with the power of substance, this
is a book that highlights the importance of style.
FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER THE
ETYMOLOGICON. 'An informative but highly entertaining journey
through the figures of rhetoric ... Mark Forsyth wears his
considerable knowledge lightly. He also writes beautifully.' David
Marsh, Guardian. Mark Forsyth presents the secret of writing
unforgettable phrases, uncovering the techniques that have made
immortal such lines as 'To be or not to be' and 'Bond. James Bond.'
In his inimitably entertaining and witty style, he takes apart
famous quotations and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare,
Oscar Wilde or John Lennon. Crammed with tricks to make the most
humdrum sentiments seem poetic or wise, The Elements of Eloquence
reveals how writers through the ages have turned humble words into
literary gold - and how you can do the same.
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR ANYONE WHO ENJOYS A TIPPLE . . . OR TWO . . .
OR TEN! Almost every culture on earth has drink, and where there's
drink there's drunkenness. But in every age and in every place
drunkenness is a little bit different. Tracing humankind's love
affair with booze from our primate ancestors through to
Prohibition, it answers every possible question: What did people
drink? How much? Who did the drinking? Of the many possible
reasons, why? On the way, learn about the Neolithic Shamans, who
drank to communicate with the spirit world (no pun intended),
marvel at how Greeks got giddy and Romans got rat-arsed, and find
out how bars in the Wild West were never like the movies. This is a
history of the world at its inebriated best. 'This book is a laugh
riot. I mean the way the author has presented it is hilarious and
to the point' Goodreads Reviewer 'Highly entertaining. Cheers!
Bottoms up! Good health!' Goodreads Reviewer 'It can make a good
gift for someone with a sense of humour and appreciation for the
magical powers of alcohol' Goodreads Reviewer
This perfect gift for readers, writers, and literature majors alike
unearths the quirks of the English language. For example, do you
know why a mortgage is literally a "death pledge"? Why guns have
girls' names? Why "salt" is related to "soldier"? Discover the
answers to all of these etymological questions and more in this
fascinating book for fans of of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The
Etymologicon is a completely unauthorized guide to the strange
underpinnings of the English language. It explains how you get from
"gruntled" to "disgruntled"; why you are absolutely right to
believe that your meager salary barely covers "money for salt"; how
the biggest chain of coffee shops in the world connects to whaling
in Nantucket; and what, precisely, the Rolling Stones have to do
with gardening. This witty book will awake the linguist in you and
illuminate the hidden meanings behind common words and phrases,
tracing their evolution through all of their surprising paths
throughout history.
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