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Why Q Needs U

A history of our letters and how we use them

by Danny Bate ...

'A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet... An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' Stephen Fry'An excellent read.' Susie Dent'You'll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate's fascinating linguistic history.' Sunday TimesWhy does 'W' sounds like 'doubl... ... Read more

$9.59 USD

Also available as: Audiobook

'A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet... An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' Stephen Fry'An excellent read.' Susie Dent'You'll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate's fascinating linguistic history.' Sunday TimesWhy does 'W' sounds like 'doubl...
... Read more

Also available as: Audiobook
Audiobook

Why Q Needs U

A history of our letters and how we use them

by Danny Bate ...

Narrated by Danny Bate ...

Unabridged

10 hours 14 min

'A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet... An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' Stephen Fry'An excellent read.' Susie Dent'You'll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate's fascinating linguistic history.' Sunday TimesWhy does 'W' sounds like 'doubl... ... Read more

$85.99 USD

Also available as: eBook

'A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet... An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' Stephen Fry'An excellent read.' Susie Dent'You'll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate's fascinating linguistic history.' Sunday TimesWhy does 'W' sounds like 'doubl...
... Read more

Also available as: eBook

Audiobook

Those Who Are About to Die

A Day in the Life of a Roman Gladiator

by Harry Sidebottom ...

Narrated by Justin Avoth ...

Unabridged

10 hours 58 min

**ONE OF THE ECONOMIST'S BEST BOOKS OF 2025 • See ancient Rome through the eyes of a gladiator—from the evening before the games at the Colosseum to the evening after"A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman Amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible." —Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest is History**What did a gladiator feel when he stepped out onto the sand of the ... Read more

$23.00 USD

Also available as: eBook

**ONE OF THE ECONOMIST'S BEST BOOKS OF 2025 • See ancient Rome through the eyes of a gladiator—from the evening before the games at the Colosseum to the evening after"A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman Amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible." —Tom Holland, co-host of The Rest is History**What did a gladiator feel when he stepped out onto the sand of the
... Read more

Also available as: eBook
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue

The Untold History of English

by John McWhorter ...

A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammarWhy do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one ... Read more

$8.99 USD

A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammarWhy do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one
... Read more
Alphabetical

How Every Letter Tells a Story

by Michael Rosen ...

Embark on a surprising journey from A to Z in this “passionate and funny” history of the alphabet perfect for linguistics enthusiasts and history nerds (Boston Globe)!“Fascinating tidbits of information . . . It’s like Oliver Jeffers’ Once Upon an Alphabet for grown–ups.” —Library JournalHow on Earth did we fix upon our 26 letters, what do they really mean, and how did we come to write them down ... Read more

$12.99 USD

Embark on a surprising journey from A to Z in this “passionate and funny” history of the alphabet perfect for linguistics enthusiasts and history nerds (Boston Globe)!“Fascinating tidbits of information . . . It’s like Oliver Jeffers’ Once Upon an Alphabet for grown–ups.” —Library JournalHow on Earth did we fix upon our 26 letters, what do they really mean, and how did we come to write them down
... Read more
Enlightening Symbols

A Short History of Mathematical Notation and Its Hidden Powers

by Joseph Mazur ...

"[A] fascinating narrative. . . . This is a nuanced, intelligently framed chronicle . . . In a word: enlightening." —George Szpiro, NatureWhile all of us regularly use basic math symbols such as those for plus, minus, and equals, few of us know that many of these symbols weren't available before the sixteenth century. What did mathematicians rely on for their work before then? And how did ... Read more

$17.29 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

"[A] fascinating narrative. . . . This is a nuanced, intelligently framed chronicle . . . In a word: enlightening." —George Szpiro, NatureWhile all of us regularly use basic math symbols such as those for plus, minus, and equals, few of us know that many of these symbols weren't available before the sixteenth century. What did mathematicians rely on for their work before then? And how did
... Read more
The Stories of English

by David Crystal ...

A groundbreaking history of worldwide English in all its dialects, differences, and linguistic delights: "Informative . . . distinctive . . . a spirited celebration." — The GuardianIn this "well-informed and appealing" work ( Publishers Weekly), David Crystal puts aside the usual focus on "standard" English, and instead provides a startlingly original view of where the richness, creativity, and ... Read more

$12.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

A groundbreaking history of worldwide English in all its dialects, differences, and linguistic delights: "Informative . . . distinctive . . . a spirited celebration." — The GuardianIn this "well-informed and appealing" work ( Publishers Weekly), David Crystal puts aside the usual focus on "standard" English, and instead provides a startlingly original view of where the richness, creativity, and
... Read more
The History of Mathematics

A Very Short Introduction

by Jacqueline Stedall ...

Series series Very Short Introductions
Mathematics is a fundamental human activity that can be practised and understood in a multitude of ways; indeed, mathematical ideas themselves are far from being fixed, but are adapted and changed by their passage across periods and cultures. In this Very Short Introduction, Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical and cultural diversity of mathematical endeavour from the distant past to ... Read more

$7.99 USD

Mathematics is a fundamental human activity that can be practised and understood in a multitude of ways; indeed, mathematical ideas themselves are far from being fixed, but are adapted and changed by their passage across periods and cultures. In this Very Short Introduction, Jacqueline Stedall explores the rich historical and cultural diversity of mathematical endeavour from the distant past to
... Read more
The Ingenious Language

Nine Epic Reasons to Love Greek

by Andrea Marcolongo ...

Translated by Will Schutt ...

An Italian journalist pleads her case for learning ancient Greek in modern times.For word nerds, language loons, and grammar geeks, an impassioned and informative literary leap into the wonders of the Greek language. Here are nine ways Greek can transform your relationship to time and to those around you, nine reflections on the language of Sappho, Plato, and Thucydides, and its relevance to our ... Read more

$12.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

An Italian journalist pleads her case for learning ancient Greek in modern times.For word nerds, language loons, and grammar geeks, an impassioned and informative literary leap into the wonders of the Greek language. Here are nine ways Greek can transform your relationship to time and to those around you, nine reflections on the language of Sappho, Plato, and Thucydides, and its relevance to our
... Read more
The Unfolding of Language

An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention

by Guy Deutscher ...

Susanne K. Langer Award WinnerNamed One of A.S. Byatt’s Favorite Books of the Year in The Guardian“A lively and thought-provoking exploration of why language change appears to be haphazard yet is fundamentally orderly. Exciting, witty, and a masterpiece of contemporary scholarship.”—Elizabeth Closs Traugott, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and English, Stanford UniversityBlending the spirit of . ... Read more

$12.99 USD

Susanne K. Langer Award WinnerNamed One of A.S. Byatt’s Favorite Books of the Year in The Guardian“A lively and thought-provoking exploration of why language change appears to be haphazard yet is fundamentally orderly. Exciting, witty, and a masterpiece of contemporary scholarship.”—Elizabeth Closs Traugott, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics and English, Stanford UniversityBlending the spirit of .
... Read more
Letter Perfect

The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z

by David Sacks ...

A fun, lively, and learned excursion into the alphabet—and cultural history.Letters are tangible language. Joining together in endless combinations to actually show speech, letters convey our messages and tell our stories. While we encounter these tiny shapes hundreds of times a day, we take for granted the long, fascinating history behind one of the most fundamental of human inventions: the ... Read more

$12.99 USD

A fun, lively, and learned excursion into the alphabet—and cultural history.Letters are tangible language. Joining together in endless combinations to actually show speech, letters convey our messages and tell our stories. While we encounter these tiny shapes hundreds of times a day, we take for granted the long, fascinating history behind one of the most fundamental of human inventions: the
... Read more
Alpha Beta

by John Man ...

The idea behind the alphabet - that language with all its wealth of meaning can be recorded with a few meaningless signs - is an extraordinary one. So extraordinary, in fact, that it has occurred only once in human history: in Egypt about 4000 years ago. Alpha Beta follows the emergence of the western alphabet as it evolved into its present form, contributing vital elements to our sense of ... Read more

$17.89 USD

The idea behind the alphabet - that language with all its wealth of meaning can be recorded with a few meaningless signs - is an extraordinary one. So extraordinary, in fact, that it has occurred only once in human history: in Egypt about 4000 years ago. Alpha Beta follows the emergence of the western alphabet as it evolved into its present form, contributing vital elements to our sense of
... Read more

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Why Q Needs U

Why Q Needs U

People who read these also enjoyed

Those Who Are About to Die

Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue

Alphabetical

Enlightening Symbols

The Stories of English

The History of Mathematics

The Ingenious Language

The Unfolding of Language

Letter Perfect

Alpha Beta

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