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Language

Most Recommended Books

The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker

“This is about language more generally, but it has a great chapter on swearing. It’s a really good shorter summary, where he hits all the highlights about swearing and physiology in terms of how it works in the brain and the effects it has on your body.”

Melissa Mohr,

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Garner's Modern English Usage by Bryan A. Garner

“Bryan Garner is considered a traditional prescriptivist in the so-called Usage Wars. But he is the best of the bunch. While he is unafraid of condemning a usage as ‘wrong’, every entry in his book has a 5-point scale, which allows him to be more subtle than that: ‘mostly wrong’ or ‘nearly acceptable’. Second, he uses a deep well of citations to buttress his claims. Third, the latest edition makes use of the vast data from Google Books, so he can find out whether a usage is growing or receding, common or rare. That has even, in a small few instances, changed his rulings from previous editions. (Never trust a person who won’t change their mind no matter what the evidence.) As a relatively conservative volume, this is the book you turn to for advice that will help you avoid annoying the most hardened sticklers. But Garner has no truck with fake rules like the prohibition of split infinitives.”

Lane Greene, Journalist

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Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

“This is probably my favourite book on the theme. It might seem slightly old fashioned but it is actually very quietly clever. For example, it describes things that many writers feel and it’s not until you actually read about them that you realise these are not feelings unique to yourself…..This book will help you work out what you can do with your own book.”

Sophie King, Novelist

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The F-Word by Jesse Sheidlower

“This is a great one for showcasing the variety of swearing and all the circumstances you can use this one word. It starts with “absofuckinglutely” and ends with “zipless fuck,” and in the middle has “dumbfuck,” “frig,” “unfuckable”—so many great words. He’s done this excellent research, so you can see the dates when they were all first used, with quotes.”

Melissa Mohr,

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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

“It is a surprise to a lot of people that this book is so widely read on university campuses and so widely recommended by teachers of writing. Students love it. It’s bracing: there’s no nonsense. He says somewhere in the foreword or preface that it is a short book because most books are filled with bullshit and he is determined not to offer bullshit but to tell it like it is.”

Andrew Cowan, Novelist

Read more

Browse book recommendations:

Language

  • Evolution of Language
  • Grammar & Punctuation
  • Learning Languages
  • Linguistics

We have a wide range of interviews discussing books on language, languages and linguistics.  Paul McMullen chooses his best books on learning ancient Greek and Harry Mount his best books on learning Latin.  Meanwhile Chris Livaccari chooses his best books on China for those studying Chinese.    Qiu Xialong chooses his best books of classical Chinese poetry in English translation.  Award winning translator, Edith Grossman chooses her best books on translation.

Turning to philology and the philosophy of language, the historian, James Turner, chooses his best books on philology and explains why the subject is the mother of all the humanities.  The linguist Daniel L Everett  chooses his best books on language and thought.  Scott Soames chooses his best books on the philosophy of language and Lane Green discusses language and the mind.  Nicholas Ostler chooses his best books on the history and diversity of language.

Peter Gulliver, editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, chooses his best books on that work, while the journalist and author Robert McCrum chooses his best books on US and UK English.  Mark Nichol chooses his best books on grammar and punctuation.  Peter Lilley chooses his best books on Samuel Johnson.

Author Sophie King and professor Andrew Cowan both choose their best books on creative writing, while the journalist and author, Eric Olsen, chooses his best books on how to write.  James Twining discusses writing a great thriller.

Jonathon Green chooses his best books on slang and Melissa Mohr her top books on swearing.  Clarence B Jones discusses the best speeches of all time and Simon Garfield considers typefaces.

    The best books on Hieroglyphics, recommended by Diane Greco Josefowicz

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    The best books on Hieroglyphics - Hieroglyphs: A Very Short Introduction by Penelope Wilson

    1

    Hieroglyphs: A Very Short Introduction
    by Penelope Wilson

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    The best books on Hieroglyphics - Hieroglyphics: The Writings of Ancient Egypt by Maria Betro

    2

    Hieroglyphics: The Writings of Ancient Egypt
    by Maria Betro

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    The best books on Hieroglyphics - The Myth of Egypt and Its Hieroglyphs in European Tradition by Erik Iversen

    3

    The Myth of Egypt and Its Hieroglyphs in European Tradition
    by Erik Iversen

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    The best books on Hieroglyphics - Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts by Andrew Robinson

    4

    Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts
    by Andrew Robinson

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    The best books on Hieroglyphics - The Dawning Moon of the Mind: Unlocking the Pyramid Texts by Susan Brind Morrow

    5

    The Dawning Moon of the Mind: Unlocking the Pyramid Texts
    by Susan Brind Morrow

The best books on Hieroglyphics, recommended by Diane Greco Josefowicz

Reading the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt reveals much about the worldview of a civilisation that rose to prominence 5000 years ago and flourished for thousands of years. Here, intellectual historian Diane Greco Josefowicz—whose book, The Riddle of the Rosetta, co-written with Jed Buchwald, tells the story of how the meaning of the hieroglyphs was deciphered in 19th century France—recommends the best books to learn more about hieroglyphics.

    The Best Books for Learning Spanish, recommended by Benny Lewis

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    The Best Books for Learning Spanish - Complete Spanish: A Teach Yourself Program by Juan Kattan-Ibarra

    1

    Complete Spanish: A Teach Yourself Program
    by Juan Kattan-Ibarra

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    The Best Books for Learning Spanish - Short Stories in Spanish: New Penguin Parallel Text ed. John L King

    2

    Short Stories in Spanish: New Penguin Parallel Text
    ed. John L King

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    The Best Books for Learning Spanish - Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners by Olly Richards

    3

    Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners
    by Olly Richards

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    The Best Books for Learning Spanish - Mastering Spanish Vocabulary by Axel J Navarro Ramil & Jose Maria Navarro

    4

    Mastering Spanish Vocabulary
    by Axel J Navarro Ramil & Jose Maria Navarro

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    The Best Books for Learning Spanish - Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary by Cristina Hernandez Montero & Marta Lopez

    5

    Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary
    by Cristina Hernandez Montero & Marta Lopez

The Best Books for Learning Spanish, recommended by Benny Lewis

Which are the best books for learning Spanish? Benny Lewis, polyglot and author of the popular language-learning blog Fluent in Three Months, recommends his top five. He explains why beginners should be wary of grammar, and why forcing yourself to make mistakes is the key to success in any language.

    The best books on Linguistics, recommended by David Adger

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    The best books on Linguistics - The Resilience of Language by Susan Goldin-Meadow

    1

    The Resilience of Language
    by Susan Goldin-Meadow

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    The best books on Linguistics - Language and Experience: Evidence from the Blind Child by Barbara Landau & Lila Gleitman

    2

    Language and Experience: Evidence from the Blind Child
    by Barbara Landau & Lila Gleitman

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    The best books on Linguistics - The Language of Thought by Jerry Fodor

    3

    The Language of Thought
    by Jerry Fodor

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    The best books on Linguistics - On Nature and Language by Noam Chomsky

    4

    On Nature and Language
    by Noam Chomsky

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    The best books on Linguistics - Embassytown by China Miéville

    5

    Embassytown
    by China Miéville

The best books on Linguistics, recommended by David Adger

Which linguistics books give a good sense of what the field is about? David Adger, Professor of Linguistics at Queen Mary University of London and the current president of the Linguistics Association of Great Britain, recommends some of his own favourite books on the science of language, including a sci-fi novel.

    The best books on Swearing, recommended by Melissa Mohr

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    The best books on Swearing - Swearing: A Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English by Geoffrey Hughes

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    Swearing: A Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English
    by Geoffrey Hughes

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    The best books on Swearing - What the F: What Swearing Reveals about Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves by Benjamin K Bergen

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    What the F: What Swearing Reveals about Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves
    by Benjamin K Bergen

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    The best books on Swearing - The F-Word by Jesse Sheidlower

    3

    The F-Word
    by Jesse Sheidlower

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    The best books on Swearing - Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall Kennedy

    4

    Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word
    by Randall Kennedy

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    The best books on Swearing - The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker

    5

    The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
    by Steven Pinker

The best books on Swearing, recommended by Melissa Mohr

Linguistically, swear words are unique—they can shock and offend, are processed differently in the brain, and saying them may allow you to withstand pain for longer. But where do they get their distinctive power? And how has this changed over time? Melissa Mohr gives us a badmouthed tour of the best fucking books on swearing . . .

    Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read, recommended by Chris Livaccari

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    Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read - The Languages of China by Robert S Ramsey

    1

    The Languages of China
    by Robert S Ramsey

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    Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read - The Sextants of Beijing by Joanna Waley-Cohen

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    The Sextants of Beijing
    by Joanna Waley-Cohen

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    Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read - Wandering on the Way by Zhuangzi (aka Chuang Tzu)

    3

    Wandering on the Way
    by Zhuangzi (aka Chuang Tzu)

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    Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read - Diary of a Madman and Other Stories by Lu Xun

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    Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
    by Lu Xun

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    Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read - The Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin

    5

    The Story of the Stone
    by Cao Xueqin

Books every Chinese Language Learner Should Read, recommended by Chris Livaccari

China covers a vast territory, and is far more ethnically and culturally diverse than many outsiders assume. Chris Livaccari, a veteran Chinese language teacher, recommends books he believes every Chinese language learner should read.

    Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach, recommended by Lane Greene

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    Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach - Shorter Oxford English Dictionary by Oxford University Press

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    Shorter Oxford English Dictionary
    by Oxford University Press

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    Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach - Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage by Merriam-Webster

    2

    Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage
    by Merriam-Webster

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    Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach - American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

    3

    American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language

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    Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach - Garner's Modern English Usage by Bryan A. Garner

    4

    Garner's Modern English Usage
    by Bryan A. Garner

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    Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach - The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker

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    The Sense of Style
    by Steven Pinker

Grammar Books That Prove What They Preach, recommended by Lane Greene

Most grammar books say ‘do this, and that’s that.’ But who says? How do they know? Real rules are grounded in the facts of actual standard usage. Here are five grammar books that show their work, telling you not only what to do but why, and how they know. Accept nothing less.

    The best books on Learning Ancient Greek, recommended by Paul McMullen

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    The best books on Learning Ancient Greek - Reading Greek by Joint Association of Classical Teachers

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    Reading Greek
    by Joint Association of Classical Teachers

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    The best books on Learning Ancient Greek - Introduction to Attic Greek by Donald Mastronarde

    2

    Introduction to Attic Greek
    by Donald Mastronarde

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    The best books on Learning Ancient Greek - Plato's Apology of Socrates: A Commentary (Ancient Greek) by Paul Allen Miller and Charles Platter

    3

    Plato's Apology of Socrates: A Commentary (Ancient Greek)
    by Paul Allen Miller and Charles Platter

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    The best books on Learning Ancient Greek - The Clouds by Aristophanes

    4

    The Clouds
    by Aristophanes

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    The best books on Learning Ancient Greek - The Histories (in Ancient Greek) by Herodotus

    5

    The Histories (in Ancient Greek)
    by Herodotus

The best books on Learning Ancient Greek, recommended by Paul McMullen

Interested in philosophy? Drama? History? Within a year you too could be reading seminal texts in their original language. Academic Paul McMullen recommends the best books for learning ancient Greek.

    The best books on The Philosophy of Language, recommended by Scott Soames

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    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - The Foundations of Arithmetic by Gottlob Frege

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    The Foundations of Arithmetic
    by Gottlob Frege

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    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Naming and Necessity by Saul A Kripke

    2

    Naming and Necessity
    by Saul A Kripke

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    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Themes from Kaplan by Joseph Almog, John Perry and Howard Wettstein

    3

    Themes from Kaplan
    by Joseph Almog, John Perry and Howard Wettstein

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    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Syntactic Structures by Noam Chomsky

    4

    Syntactic Structures
    by Noam Chomsky

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    The best books on The Philosophy of Language - Frege’s Puzzle by Nathan Salmon

    5

    Frege’s Puzzle
    by Nathan Salmon

The best books on The Philosophy of Language, recommended by Scott Soames

When you study the philosophy of language, you study the languages of logic, mathematics, and science, and not just English, French, and German. Philosopher Scott Soames picks the best books on the philosophy of language.

    The best books on Learning Latin, recommended by Harry Mount

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    The best books on Learning Latin - Kennedy's Revised Latin Primer by Benjamin Kennedy

    1

    Kennedy's Revised Latin Primer
    by Benjamin Kennedy

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    The best books on Learning Latin - So You Really Want to Learn Latin by NRR Oulton

    2

    So You Really Want to Learn Latin
    by NRR Oulton

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    The best books on Learning Latin - Asterix Gallus by Goscinny and Uderzo

    3

    Asterix Gallus
    by Goscinny and Uderzo

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    The best books on Learning Latin - Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin by Nicholas Ostler

    4

    Ad Infinitum: A Biography of Latin
    by Nicholas Ostler

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    The best books on Learning Latin - A Loeb Classical Library Reader

    5

    A Loeb Classical Library Reader

The best books on Learning Latin, recommended by Harry Mount

What books should you read if you want to learn Latin? Harry Mount (and Katie Walker) recommend the best books for learning Latin—the language of a small, central Italian tribe that managed to conquer most of Europe.

    The best books on The Oxford English Dictionary, recommended by Peter Gilliver

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    The best books on The Oxford English Dictionary - Caught in the Web of Words: James Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary by K. M. Elisabeth Murray

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    Caught in the Web of Words: James Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary
    by K. M. Elisabeth Murray

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    The best books on The Oxford English Dictionary - The Collected Papers of Henry Bradley by Robert Bridges

    2

    The Collected Papers of Henry Bradley
    by Robert Bridges

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    The best books on The Oxford English Dictionary - The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester

    3

    The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Oxford English Dictionary
    by Simon Winchester

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    The best books on The Oxford English Dictionary - The Study of Language in England, 1780-1860 by Hans Aarsleff

    4

    The Study of Language in England, 1780-1860
    by Hans Aarsleff

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    The best books on The Oxford English Dictionary - The Scholar's Daughter by Beatrice Harraden

    5

    The Scholar's Daughter
    by Beatrice Harraden

The best books on The Oxford English Dictionary, recommended by Peter Gilliver

It's a dictionary that seeks to document any word that exists—or ever existed—in the English language and track its evolution over time. Lexicographer Peter Gilliver chooses books to help understand the enormous undertaking that is the Oxford English Dictionary.

    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books, recommended by Mark Nichol

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Garner's Modern English Usage by Bryan A. Garner

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    Garner's Modern English Usage
    by Bryan A. Garner

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary by Merriam-Webster

    2

    Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
    by Merriam-Webster

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style by Arthur Plotnik

    3

    Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style
    by Arthur Plotnik

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus

    4

    The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
    by Jane Straus

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    The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books - The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn

    5

    The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications
    by Amy Einsohn

The Best Grammar and Punctuation Books, recommended by Mark Nichol

In the age of the internet, we are all writers. Correct grammar and punctuation are key to making a good impression. Grammar geek Mark Nichol, a writer at Daily Writing Tips, picks five of the best grammar and punctuation books, and tells us why bad grammar leads to anarchy.

    The best books on Philology, recommended by James Turner

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    The best books on Philology - Ptolemaic Alexandria by P.M. Fraser

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    Ptolemaic Alexandria
    by P.M. Fraser

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    The best books on Philology - Joseph Scaliger: A Study in the History of Classical Scholarship by Anthony Grafton

    2

    Joseph Scaliger: A Study in the History of Classical Scholarship
    by Anthony Grafton

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    The best books on Philology - Prolegomena to Homer by Friedrich August Wolf

    3

    Prolegomena to Homer
    by Friedrich August Wolf

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    The best books on Philology - Lectures on the Religion of the Semites by William Robertson Smith

    4

    Lectures on the Religion of the Semites
    by William Robertson Smith

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    The best books on Philology - The Liberal Education of Charles Eliot Norton by James Turner

    5

    The Liberal Education of Charles Eliot Norton
    by James Turner

The best books on Philology, recommended by James Turner

Intellectual historian James Turner describes how the once vast and unified field of philology was chopped up in the 20th century to make the different disciplines of the humanities.

    The best books on Language and Thought, recommended by Daniel L. Everett

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    The best books on Language and Thought - Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Edward Sapir

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    Language: An Introduction to the Study of Speech
    by Edward Sapir

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    The best books on Language and Thought - Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human Behaviour by Kenneth Pike

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    Language In Relation To A Unified Theory Of The Structure Of Human Behaviour
    by Kenneth Pike

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    The best books on Language and Thought - Aspects of the Theory of Syntax by Noam Chomsky

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    Aspects of the Theory of Syntax
    by Noam Chomsky

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    The best books on Language and Thought - On Understanding Grammar by Talmy Givón

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    On Understanding Grammar
    by Talmy Givón

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    The best books on Language and Thought - Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment by Robert Brandom

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    Making It Explicit: Reasoning, Representing & Discursive Commitment
    by Robert Brandom

The best books on Language and Thought, recommended by Daniel L. Everett

The linguist argues that all language has a basis in culture and explains how Chomsky is like Freud: crucial, but crucially wrong. He chooses five of the best books on linguistics.

    The best books on Translation, recommended by Edith Grossman

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    The best books on Translation - Don Quixote by Cervantes (translated by Samuel Putnam)

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    Don Quixote
    by Cervantes (translated by Samuel Putnam)

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    The best books on Translation - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

    2

    One Hundred Years of Solitude
    by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

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    The best books on Translation - The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by José Saramago (translated by Giovanni Pontiero)

    3

    The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
    by José Saramago (translated by Giovanni Pontiero)

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    The best books on Translation - Translating Neruda by John Felstiner

    4

    Translating Neruda
    by John Felstiner

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    The best books on Translation - Paul Celan by John Felstiner

    5

    Paul Celan
    by John Felstiner

The best books on Translation, recommended by Edith Grossman

The award-winning literary translator discusses books on and of translation that inspired her, and considers the trade-off that every translator faces, between fidelity and meaning

    The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Sophie King

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    The best books on Creative Writing - Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

    1

    Becoming a Writer
    by Dorothea Brande

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    The best books on Creative Writing - The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club by Maeve Binchy

    2

    The Maeve Binchy Writers' Club
    by Maeve Binchy

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    The best books on Creative Writing - Wannabe a Writer? by Jane Wenham-Jones

    3

    Wannabe a Writer?
    by Jane Wenham-Jones

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    The best books on Creative Writing - How to Write for Children by Louise Jordan

    4

    How to Write for Children
    by Louise Jordan

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    The best books on Creative Writing - Rewriting by David Micheal Kaplan

    5

    Rewriting
    by David Micheal Kaplan

The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Sophie King

The author and creative writing teacher tells us where to go for tips on finding your voice, grabbing the reader’s attention and getting published

    The Best Speeches of All Time, recommended by Clarence B Jones

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    The Best Speeches of All Time - Franklin D Roosevelt’s inaugural address, 4 March 1933 by Various authors

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    Franklin D Roosevelt’s inaugural address, 4 March 1933
    by Various authors

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    The Best Speeches of All Time - John F Kennedy’s inaugural address, 20 January 1961 by Various authors

    2

    John F Kennedy’s inaugural address, 20 January 1961
    by Various authors

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    The Best Speeches of All Time - Laurence Olivier’s Oscar Acceptance Speech (1979) by YouTube video

    3

    Laurence Olivier’s Oscar Acceptance Speech (1979)
    by YouTube video

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    The Best Speeches of All Time - Dr Martin Luther King, Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, 28 August 1963 by Martin Luther King

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    Dr Martin Luther King, Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, 28 August 1963
    by Martin Luther King

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    The Best Speeches of All Time - Nelson Mandela’s inaugural address as President of South Africa, 10 May 1994 by David Elliot Cohen

    5

    Nelson Mandela’s inaugural address as President of South Africa, 10 May 1994
    by David Elliot Cohen

The Best Speeches of All Time, recommended by Clarence B Jones

Which were the best speeches ever made? Clarence B Jones, lawyer, friend and adviser to Martin Luther King Jr—and contributor to the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech—chooses his top five, and explains what is that makes these famous speeches so good.

    The best books on Typefaces, recommended by Simon Garfield

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    The best books on Typefaces - Letterform Collected by published by Grafik Magazine & various contributors

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    Letterform Collected
    by published by Grafik Magazine & various contributors

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    The best books on Typefaces - Typographers on Type by Ruari McLean (editor)

    2

    Typographers on Type
    by Ruari McLean (editor)

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    The best books on Typefaces - Types Best Remembered/Types Best Forgotten by Robert Norton (editor)

    3

    Types Best Remembered/Types Best Forgotten
    by Robert Norton (editor)

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    The best books on Typefaces - Signs by Phil Baines and Catherine Dixon

    4

    Signs
    by Phil Baines and Catherine Dixon

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    The best books on Typefaces - Eighty Years of Book Cover Design by Joseph Connolly

    5

    Eighty Years of Book Cover Design
    by Joseph Connolly

The best books on Typefaces, recommended by Simon Garfield

It used to be said that you could be parachuted into any country and know where you were from the typeface used on its road signs. The author of Just My Type tells us about the variety and meaning of different fonts.

    The best books on Slang, recommended by Jonathon Green

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    The best books on Slang - A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant and Vulgar Words by John Camden Hotten

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    A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant and Vulgar Words
    by John Camden Hotten

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    The best books on Slang - Slang To-day and Yesterday by Eric Partridge

    2

    Slang To-day and Yesterday
    by Eric Partridge

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    The best books on Slang - A History of Cant and Slang Dictionaries by Julie Coleman

    3

    A History of Cant and Slang Dictionaries
    by Julie Coleman

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    The best books on Slang - The Corner by David Simon and Edward Burns

    4

    The Corner
    by David Simon and Edward Burns

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    The best books on Slang - The F-Word by Jesse Sheidlower

    5

    The F-Word
    by Jesse Sheidlower

The best books on Slang, recommended by Jonathon Green

It’s dirty, grubby and doubting. And us at our most real. The lexicographer takes us inside the world of “rough, truthful language” from rhyming slang and cant to the streets of Baltimore and an etymology of the f-word

    The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Andrew Cowan

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    The best books on Creative Writing - Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande

    1

    Becoming a Writer
    by Dorothea Brande

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    The best books on Creative Writing - On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner

    2

    On Becoming a Novelist
    by John Gardner

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    The best books on Creative Writing - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

    3

    On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
    by Stephen King

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    The best books on Creative Writing - The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner

    4

    The Forest for the Trees
    by Betsy Lerner

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    The best books on Creative Writing - Worstward Ho by Samuel Beckett

    5

    Worstward Ho
    by Samuel Beckett

The best books on Creative Writing, recommended by Andrew Cowan

The professor of creative writing at UEA says Joseph Conrad got it right when he said that the sitting down is all. He chooses five books to help aspiring writers.

    The best books on How to Write, recommended by Eric Olsen

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    The best books on How to Write - Ron Carlson Writes a Story by Ron Carlson

    1

    Ron Carlson Writes a Story
    by Ron Carlson

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    The best books on How to Write - On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

    2

    On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
    by Stephen King

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    The best books on How to Write - The Faith of a Writer by Joyce Carol Oates

    3

    The Faith of a Writer
    by Joyce Carol Oates

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    The best books on How to Write - The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes

    4

    The Courage to Write
    by Ralph Keyes

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    The best books on How to Write - The Eleventh Draft by Frank Conroy (editor)

    5

    The Eleventh Draft
    by Frank Conroy (editor)

The best books on How to Write, recommended by Eric Olsen

From their egos and anxieties to the way they work, writers have more in common than we might think. The journalist and editor takes us inside the writing process and reveals who gives the best advice for aspiring authors

    The best books on Language and the Mind, recommended by Lane Greene

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    The best books on Language and the Mind - Through the Language Glass by Guy Deutscher

    1

    Through the Language Glass
    by Guy Deutscher

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    The best books on Language and the Mind - The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker

    2

    The Language Instinct
    by Steven Pinker

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    The best books on Language and the Mind - The First Word by Christine Kenneally

    3

    The First Word
    by Christine Kenneally

  • Read
    The best books on Language and the Mind - In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent

    4

    In the Land of Invented Languages
    by Arika Okrent

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    The best books on Language and the Mind - The Genius of Language by Wendy Lessen (editor)

    5

    The Genius of Language
    by Wendy Lessen (editor)

The best books on Language and the Mind, recommended by Lane Greene

Does the world look different in other languages? Are there words that cannot be translated? Is it OK to say disinterested when you mean uninterested? Lane Greene, who writes the Economist’s “Johnson” column on language, dispels some of the popular but misguided ideas many of us have about language.

    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language, recommended by Nicholas Ostler

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    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Dying Words by Nicholas Evans

    1

    Dying Words
    by Nicholas Evans

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    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - La Révolution Technologique de la Grammatisation by Sylvain Auroux

    2

    La Révolution Technologique de la Grammatisation
    by Sylvain Auroux

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    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - The Stories of English by David Crystal

    3

    The Stories of English
    by David Crystal

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    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Linguistic Diversity by Daniel Nettle

    4

    Linguistic Diversity
    by Daniel Nettle

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    The best books on The History and Diversity of Language - Le Ton Beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter

    5

    Le Ton Beau de Marot
    by Douglas Hofstadter

The best books on The History and Diversity of Language, recommended by Nicholas Ostler

The scholar of language tells us about the progress of the spoken word from 3000 BC to today, how two languages disappear every month, and the 50,000-word novel written without using the letter “e”

    The best books on Language, recommended by Henry Hitchings

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    The best books on Language - Empires of the Word by Nicholas Ostler

    1

    Empires of the Word
    by Nicholas Ostler

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    The best books on Language - Mother Tongues by Helena Drysdale

    2

    Mother Tongues
    by Helena Drysdale

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    The best books on Language - The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker

    3

    The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
    by Steven Pinker

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    The best books on Language - History in English Words by Owen Barfield

    4

    History in English Words
    by Owen Barfield

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    The best books on Language - A Mouthful of Air by Anthony Burgess

    5

    A Mouthful of Air
    by Anthony Burgess

The best books on Language, recommended by Henry Hitchings

The wordsmith and cultural historian debunks common myths about English, recommends the smartest writing about words, and says apostrophes are “orthographic squiggles” not worth fighting for.

    The best books on Classical Chinese Poetry, recommended by Qiu Xiaolong

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    The best books on Classical Chinese Poetry - A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems by Arthur Waley & Qiu Xiaolong

    1

    A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems
    by Arthur Waley & Qiu Xiaolong

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    The best books on Classical Chinese Poetry - Cold Mountain by Burton Watson

    2

    Cold Mountain
    by Burton Watson

  • Read
    The best books on Classical Chinese Poetry - Classical Chinese Poetry by David Hinton

    3

    Classical Chinese Poetry
    by David Hinton

  • Read
    The best books on Classical Chinese Poetry - Chinese Poetry by Wai-lim Yip

    4

    Chinese Poetry
    by Wai-lim Yip

  • Read
    The best books on Classical Chinese Poetry - Mountain Songs by Gary Flint

    5

    Mountain Songs
    by Gary Flint

The best books on Classical Chinese Poetry, recommended by Qiu Xiaolong

The translator, poet and author of the best-selling Inspector Chen series, Qiu Xiaolong, says there is no one road when it comes to translating Chinese poetry. He chooses five anthologies that capture its magic.

    The best books on US and UK English, recommended by Robert McCrum

  • Read
    The best books on US and UK English - Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary

    1

    Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary

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    The best books on US and UK English - The American Language by HL Mencken

    2

    The American Language
    by HL Mencken

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    The best books on US and UK English - The World Is Flat by Thomas L Friedman

    3

    The World Is Flat
    by Thomas L Friedman

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    The best books on US and UK English - Dreams From my Father by Barack Obama

    4

    Dreams From my Father
    by Barack Obama

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    The best books on US and UK English - The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

    5

    The White Tiger
    by Aravind Adiga

The best books on US and UK English, recommended by Robert McCrum

McCrum looks at three stages of evolution in the English language. The first British, the second American and then the third – the globish stage – the one in which English is used as international default position

    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller, recommended by James Twining

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    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

    1

    The Maltese Falcon
    by Dashiell Hammett

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    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming

    2

    From Russia With Love
    by Ian Fleming

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    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

    3

    The Day of the Jackal
    by Frederick Forsyth

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    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

    4

    The Bourne Identity
    by Robert Ludlum

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    The best books on Writing a Great Thriller - The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

    5

    The Silence of the Lambs
    by Thomas Harris

The best books on Writing a Great Thriller, recommended by James Twining

Best-selling author says the elements you need to write a perfect thriller are a brilliant central character, some link to reality, and an inanimate object around which the human story revolves.

    The best books on Samuel Johnson, recommended by Peter Lilley

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    The best books on Samuel Johnson - The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell

    1

    The Life of Samuel Johnson
    by James Boswell

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    The best books on Samuel Johnson - Samuel Johnson by John Wain

    2

    Samuel Johnson
    by John Wain

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    The best books on Samuel Johnson - Samuel Johnson by Walter Jackson Bate

    3

    Samuel Johnson
    by Walter Jackson Bate

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    The best books on Samuel Johnson - Dr Johnson and Mr Savage - a biographical mystery by Richard Holmes

    4

    Dr Johnson and Mr Savage - a biographical mystery
    by Richard Holmes

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    The best books on Samuel Johnson - The Politics of Dr Johnson by Donald Greene

    5

    The Politics of Dr Johnson
    by Donald Greene

The best books on Samuel Johnson, recommended by Peter Lilley

Samuel Johnson, author of the 1755 A Dictionary of the English Language, was not a hard-hearted Tory caricature, but a champion of the poor and enslaved, according to Margaret Thatcher’s Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Peter Lilley.

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