A “monumental” account of the rise and fall of languages, with “many fresh insights, useful historical anecdotes, and charming linguistic oddities” (Chi

The story of the world in the last five thousand years is above all the story of its languages. Some shared language is what binds any community together and ma

Examines the rise and fall of English as the most widely spoken language in human history and discusses what language will overtake its dominance as English-spe

"Well-told story of a life dedicated to scholarship, with great adventures and derring-do an unexpected bonus." - Kirkus Reviews From 1827 Henry Rawlinson, fear

Named one of the ten best books of the year by the Chicago Tribune A Publishers Weekly best book of 2019 | A 2019 NPR Staff Pick A pathbreaking history of the U