{"product_id":"the-adventure-of-english-melvyn-bragg-9781611450071","title":"The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Superb. . . . Inspiring.\"--\u003ci\u003eNewsday\u003c\/i\u003e. \"A captivating history.\"--\u003ci\u003eThe Daily Telegraph.\u003c\/i\u003e \"A thorough and incredibly enjoyable trip down a linguistic memory lane.\"--\u003ci\u003eBloomsbury Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHere is the riveting story of the English language, from its humble beginnings as a regional dialect to its current preeminence as the one global language, spoken by more than two billion people worldwide. In this groundbreaking book, Melvyn Bragg shows how English conquered the world. It is a magnificent adventure, full of jealousy, intrigue, and war--against a hoard of invaders, all armed with their own conquering languages, which bit by bit, the speakers of English absorbed and made their own. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAlong the way, its colorful story takes in a host of remarkable people, places, and events: the Norman invasion of England in 1066; the arrival of \u003ci\u003eThe Canterbury Tales\u003c\/i\u003e and a \"coarse\" playwright named William Shakespeare, who added 2,000 words to the language; the songs of slaves; the words of Davy Crockett; and the Lewis and Clark expedition, which led to hundreds of new words as the explorers discovered unknown flora and fauna. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Adventure of English\u003c\/i\u003e is an enthralling story not only of power, religion, and trade, but also of a people and how they changed the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Melvyn Bragg\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1611450071\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781611450071\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Arcade Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/01\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 1.20d","brand":"Melvyn Bragg","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44051036012799,"sku":"9781611450071","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d30f2012-0dcd-4589-8e59-54e65a0d5ebc.jpg?v=1685010705","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-adventure-of-english-melvyn-bragg-9781611450071","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}