THE FASCINATING AND SURPRISING HISTORY OF ENGLISH SPELLING FROM DAVID CRYSTAL, EVERYONE'S FAVORITE EXPERT LOGOPHILE

With The Story of English in 100 Words, David Crystal took us on a tour through the history of our language. Now, with Spell It Out, he takes on the task of answering all the questions about how we spell: 'Why is English spelling so difficult?' Or 'Why are good spellers so proud of their achievement that when they see a misspelling they condemn the writer as sloppy, lazy, or uneducated?' In thirty-seven short, engaging and informative chapters, Crystal takes readers on a history of English spelling, starting with the Roman missionaries’ sixth century introduction of the Roman alphabet and ending with where the language might be going. He looks individually at each letter in the alphabet and its origins. He considers the question of vowels and how people developed a way to tell whether or not it was long or short. He looks at influences from other cultures, and explains how English speakers understood that the “o” in “hopping” was a short vowel, rather than the long vowel of “hoping”. If you’ve ever asked yourself questions like “Why do the words “their”, “there” and “they’re” sound alike, but mean very different things?” or “How can we tell the difference between “charge” the verb and “charge” the noun?” David Crystal’s Spell It Out will spell it all out for you.

The New Testament of William Tyndale, published in 1525–6, was the first text of the Bible to be printed in English. It's publication is arguably the most important event in the history of the English Reformation—and so controversial at the time that Tyndale, its translator, was tried for heresy, incarcerated, and burned at the stake.

This audio recording of Saint Matthew’s Gospel, the first recording of any part of Tyndale’s historic translation of the Bible, brings his groundbreaking work vividly to life. The text is read by English language historian David Crystal, who has contributed an authoritative introductory essay on the genesis and language of Tyndale’s translation. This two-disc set provides a unique opportunity to hear and appreciate one of the most historic texts in the history of the English language.

The fascinating and surprising history of English spelling from David Crystal, everyone's favorite expert logophile