Author: Robin Hosie Publisher: How To Books ISBN: 1472110153 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 274
Book Description
More than 100 vocabulary-building quizzes make up the core of the book, with shorter sections on: * The fascinating origins of words * Quotes and misquotes * Slang, dialects and secret languages * Unforgettable Adverts, Famous Lines from Novels and Movies * Newspeak, Basic English, spelling reform * Malapropisms, politicians' blunders and 'mispeakings' * Mnemonics and other memory joggers * Palindromes and anagrams * Semaphore. Morse, tic-tac, hand gestures and other ways of speaking without words Entry after entry explores the byways, oddities and curiosities of the English language.
Author: Publisher: Black Dog Pub Limited ISBN: 9781907317095 Category : Design Languages : en Pages : 239
Book Description
"A playful take on the alphabets relationship with art, design, typography, children's books, learning aides, commercial signage, contemporary culture and everything and anything in between"--Page 4 of cover.
Author: Christopher J. Moore Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 9781635574036 Category : Language Arts & Disciplines Languages : en Pages : 128
Book Description
"A delightful treasure house, literally a thesaurus, of linguistic marvels." --from the foreword by bestselling author Simon Winchester A colorfully illustrated collection of more than ninety untranslatable words and phrases and the unique insights they offer into the cultures they come from. Ever racked your brain for a word you're convinced should exist, yet is inexplicably absent from the dictionary? All languages have their limitations-should English fall short, the expression may lie elsewhere. That's where this book comes in: a quirky, international lexicon of linguistic gems that capture cultural untranslatables with satisfying precision. Take for example the Japanese yoko meshi, “a meal eaten sideways,” describing the experience of trying to communicate in an alien tongue, or mono-no-aware, the appreciation of life's sadness. From the distinctive coziness of the Danish hygge, to the unrestrained dis of the Mayan bol (“in-laws” and “stupidity”), to the profound collectivism of the Zulu concept of ubuntu (roughly, “I AM because WE ARE"), these mots justes are grouped according to language and prefaced with insightful overviews of the relevant cultures by linguist Christopher J. Moore. Embellished with 20 entertaining new untranslatable words and phrases and 90 characterful color illustrations by Lan Truong, and with a foreword by Simon Winchester, In Other Words is amusing, profound, and unputdownable--a gorgeously packaged gift book to entertain even the most well-versed polyglot with marvels of language from around the world.
Author: A. Carthusian Publisher: Gracewing Publishing ISBN: 9780852446706 Category : Religion Languages : en Pages : 260
Book Description
This volume provides background information on the Carthusian Order, including letters from St. Bruno, its founder, and a reflection on Bruno's continuing significance today. (Catholic)
Author: Alex Palmer Publisher: Skyhorse ISBN: 9781510772595 Category : Literary Criticism Languages : en Pages : 184
Book Description
Packed with fascinating facts, Literary Miscellany is sure to please both professor and pleasure reader alike. Wouldn’t it be great to be a fly on the wall as the great writers took pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)? While reading this work, you’ll be just that. Here are behind-the-book stories and facts about authors, publishing and everything literary that will entertain both casual and serious readers. Among the questions asked and answered: • When Did Literature Finally Get Sexy? • Is Coffee or Opium Better for Literary Creativity? • Why Are the Best Autobiographies so Embarrassing? • Why Do Some Detectives Use Their Minds and Others Their Fists? Who knew that bestseller lists and children’s books could be the source of intense controversy? Or that even the biggest writers had to scrape by, with odd jobs and inventions like the Mark Twain Self-Pasting Scrapbook? In Literary Miscellany, examine the trend of “fake memoirs,” with a list of who lied about what, and a rogues’ gallery of hoaxers dating back centuries. From epic poetry and Homer to pulp fiction and Harry Potter, Literary Miscellany, now available for the first time in paperback, is a breezy tour through the literature of today and yesterday, packed with enough interesting facts to entertain both the erudite professor and pleasure reader.
Author: David Squire Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 0857842765 Category : Gardening Languages : en Pages : 146
Book Description
A charming and beautifully illustrated book, exploring the facts and folklore of gardening, its history and curiosities. Gardening is an age-old craft, steeped in mystique and peppered with handed-down wisdom, often derived from 'sons of the soil' who grew cabbages larger than their neighbours. If you think gardening has become too scientific and wonder where all the hands-on experience and wonder has gone, this book mines a rich seam of folkloric advice. A Miscellany for Garden-Lovers takes a stroll through gardening curiosities from ancient Egyptian wisdom and the world of garden gnomes to rhymes and healing gardens. It is packed with information on the history of gardening and the development of tools and practices, as well as garden curiosities and folklore. Illustrated with stunning historical woodcuts and drawings throughout, this makes a perfect gift for anyone with an interest in gardens. This fact-drenched insight into gardening history will enthral you with its diversity – from digging soil and keeping bees to early plant hunters and weather rhymes.
Author: Erin McCarthy Publisher: Weldon Owen International ISBN: 1681888076 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 290
Book Description
"With sumptuous, visually stimulating spreads, this book delivers on its promise– to unearth strange stories, bizarre facts, or unexpected details about the books on our shelves. Good for curious readers, whether they want to delve into authors and books they love, feel competent faking knowledge about books everyone else seems to have read, or just dip into and out of literary worlds" – Library Journal Readers rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for lovers of literature. From Americanah to War and Peace, from Chinua Achebe and Jane Austen to Jesmyn Ward and George R.R. Martin, learn surprising facts about the world’s most famous novels and novelists. The Curious Reader will delight bookworms everywhere. This literary compendium from Mental Floss reveals fascinating facts about the world’s most famous authors and their literary works. Readers will learn about George Orwell’s near-death experience during the writing of 1984; meet the real man who may have inspired Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy; discover which famous author kept her husband’s heart after he passed away; and learn about the influence of psychedelics on Dune. The Curious Reader also contains the most-loved book-related articles from 20 years of Mental Floss, including “Cat-Loving Writers,” “Famous Authors’ Unfinished Manuscripts,” “Literary Characters Based on Real People,” and “Books You Didn’t Know Were Self-Published.” This literary miscellany is certain to inspire book lovers, aspiring writers, students, and teachers alike to discover a diverse selection of curated literary works—leading to an expansion of their library!
Author: Dwight Garner Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux ISBN: 0374722145 Category : Reference Languages : en Pages : 164
Book Description
A selection of favorite quotes that the celebrated literary critic has collected over the decades. From Dwight Garner, the New York Times book critic, comes a rollicking, irreverent, scabrous, amazingly alive selection of unforgettable moments from forty years of wide and deep reading. Garner’s Quotations is like no commonplace book you’ll ever read. If you’ve ever wondered what’s really going on in the world of letters today, this book will make you sit up and take notice. Unputdownable!
Author: Publisher: Chronicle Books ISBN: 145216827X Category : Languages : en Pages : 227
Book Description
Perfect gift for book lovers, writers and your book club Book lovers rejoice! In this love letter to all things bookish, Jane Mount brings literary people, places, and things to life through her signature and vibrant illustrations. Readers of Jane Mount's Bibliophile will delight in: Touring the world's most beautiful bookstores Testing their knowledge of the written word with quizzes Finding their next great read in lovingly curated stacks of books Sampling the most famous fictional meals Peeking inside the workspaces of their favorite authors A source of endless inspiration, literary facts and recommendations: Bibliophile is pure bookish joy and sure to enchant book clubbers, English majors, poetry devotees, aspiring writers, and any and all who identify as book lovers. If you have read or own: I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life; The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, and Civilization; or How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines; then you will want to read and own Jane Mount's Bibliophile.
Author: Ben Schott Publisher: Bloomsbury UK ISBN: 9781408815779 Category : Handbooks, vade-mecums, etc Languages : en Pages : 160
Book Description
Introducing the all-new, indispensable collection of necessary trivia, uncommon knowledge, and vital irrelevance from Schott--the inventor of the Miscellany genre.
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Author: Robin Hosie
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Author: Christopher J. Moore
Author: A. Carthusian
Author: Alex Palmer
Author: David Squire
Author: Erin McCarthy
Author: Dwight Garner
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Author: Ben Schott