The Secret Life of Words: How English Became English - Couverture rigide

'Hitchings's excavations are a treat. He presents the best gleanings of academia in a winning, conversational style. Almost every spadeful yields an etymological nugget . . . elegantly and entertainingly written' (Financial Times)

'[It] disentangles an intriguing narrative from a mass of information, revealing the distinct cultural climates that produced certain words and bearing witness to an increasing global language, always morphing into something new' (Guardian)

'A fascinating exploration of the rich borrowings, exchanges and couplings of the language' (Ben Macintyre, The Times)

'Hitchings delves into words, resurfacing with their surprising origins' (The Times)

'It is a book that brings etymology fizzingly alive ... it teems with vivid, quirky evidence of the way the English vocabulary bears continuing witness to our cultural history' (Sunday Times)

'His book is a patient, thorough and highly entertaining excavation' (Sunday Times)

'Hitchings's examples cover the full span of English' (Observer)

'Expert analysis ... this is a wonderfully well-organised and entertaining book, which thoroughly deserved to win last year's John Llewellyn Rhys Prize' (Daily Mail)

'Hitchings has teased out the stories lurking behind the language to provide a most satisfying whole' (Publishing News)

'Much more than a collage of etymological trivia, this is a dense and thorough excavation of the stories that lie behind the words we say' (Metro)