Letter Perfect

The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet from A to Z

von David Sacks

416 Seiten, Taschenbuch

Kurzbeschreibung des Verlags

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 alphabet.The heart of the book is the 26 fact-filled “biographies” of letters A through Z, each one identifying the letter’s particular significance for modern readers, tracing its development from ancient forms, and discussing its noteworthy role in literature and other media. We learn, for example, why the letter X has a sinister and sexual aura, how B came to signify second best, why the word “mother” in many languages starts with M, and what is the story of O.Packed with information and lavishly illustrated, Letter Perfect is accessible, entertaining, and essential to the appreciation of our own language.

• Themen: Sprache und Sprachwissenschaft Sprache, allgemein und Nachschlagewerke
• ISBN: 9780767911733
• Sprache: Englisch
• Erscheinungsdatum: 01.06.2004
• Größe: 211 x 141 mm
• Verlag: Crown Publishing Group (NY)