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50 Books About the English Language

From the history of the language to how we got certain words and phrases to why there are so many contradictions.... Here are 50 books about the fascinating language behind this very list.
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Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language (Amanda Montell)
Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language
1
Amanda Montell
Take My Word for It (Anatoly Liberman)
Take My Word for It
2
Anatoly Liberman
Never Drink a Molotov Cocktail (Andrew Sholl)
Never Drink a Molotov Cocktail
3
Andrew Sholl
Highly Irregular (Arika Okrent)
Highly Irregular
4
Arika Okrent
Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States (Bill Bryson)
Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States
5
Bill Bryson
The Mother Tongue (Bill Bryson)
The Mother Tongue
6
Bill Bryson
In Other Words: A Language Lover's Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World (C.J.Moore)
In Other Words: A Language Lover's Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World
7
C.J.Moore
The English Language: A Historical Introduction (Charles Barber)
The English Language: A Historical Introduction
8
Charles Barber
A Biography of the English Language (CM Millward, Mary Hayes)
A Biography of the English Language
9
CM Millward, Mary Hayes
Wordsmiths and Warriors (David and Hilary Crystal)
Wordsmiths and Warriors
10
David and Hilary Crystal
Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language (David Crystal)
Begat: The King James Bible and the English Language
11
David Crystal
The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language (David Crystal)
The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language
12
David Crystal
The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left (David Crystal)
The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left
13
David Crystal
The Stories of English (David Crystal)
The Stories of English
14
David Crystal
The Story of English in 100 Words (David Crystal)
The Story of English in 100 Words
15
David Crystal
Words Words Words (David Crystal)
Words Words Words
16
David Crystal
Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion (David Crystal, Ben Crystal)
Shakespeare's Words: A Glossary and Language Companion
17
David Crystal, Ben Crystal
Uncovering the Logic of English (Eide, Denise)
Uncovering the Logic of English
18
Eide, Denise
Word Play: A Cornucopia of Puns, Anagrams and Other Curiosities of the English Language (Gyles Brandreth)
Word Play: A Cornucopia of Puns, Anagrams and Other Curiosities of the English Language
19
Gyles Brandreth
The People's Tongue: Americans and the English Language (Ilan Stavans)
The People's Tongue: Americans and the English Language
20
Ilan Stavans
Words to Eat By: Five Foods and the Culinary History of the English Language (Ina Lipkowitz)
Words to Eat By: Five Foods and the Culinary History of the English Language
21
Ina Lipkowitz
The Lexicographers Dilemma (Jack Lynch)
The Lexicographers Dilemma
22
Jack Lynch
Grandiloquent Words (Jason Travis Ott)
Grandiloquent Words
23
Jason Travis Ott
The Word Museum (Jeffery Kacirk)
The Word Museum
24
Jeffery Kacirk
Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare (Jeremy Butterfield)
Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare
25
Jeremy Butterfield
Lost for Words (John Humphrys)
Lost for Words
26
John Humphrys
Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter (John McWhorter)
Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter
27
John McWhorter
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue (John McWhorter)
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue
28
John McWhorter
Talking Back, Talking Black (John McWhorter)
Talking Back, Talking Black
29
John McWhorter
Words on the Move (John McWhorter)
Words on the Move
30
John McWhorter
Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words (Josefa Byrne)
Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words
31
Josefa Byrne
Dictionary of Word Origins (Joseph T. Shipley)
Dictionary of Word Origins
32
Joseph T. Shipley
Totally Scripted (Josh Chetwynd)
Totally Scripted
33
Josh Chetwynd
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Lynne Truss)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
34
Lynne Truss
That's the Way It Crumbles (Matthew Engel)
That's the Way It Crumbles
35
Matthew Engel
The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language (Melvyn Bragg)
The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language
36
Melvyn Bragg
Accidence Will Happen: The Non-Pedantic Guide to English (Oliver Kamm)
Accidence Will Happen: The Non-Pedantic Guide to English
37
Oliver Kamm
Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language (Patricia T. O'Conner, Stewart Kellerman)
Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language
38
Patricia T. O'Conner, Stewart Kellerman
Around the World in 80 Words (Paul Anthony Jones)
Around the World in 80 Words
39
Paul Anthony Jones
The Dictionary Wars (Peter Martin)
The Dictionary Wars
40
Peter Martin
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