Ralph Waldo Emerson once remarked of English that it is 'the sea which receives tributaries from every region under heaven.'

The English language is certainly a sea of words and constructs which has been fed into by almost every major language and ethnic tradition in the world. English began as a hodge-podge of languages, never pretending to the 'purity' of more continental or extra-European languages (which, by the by, were never quite as pure as they like to assume).

The book 'The Story of English', as a companion piece to accompany the PBS-produced series of the same name, hosted by Robert MacNeil, late of the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, is an articulate, engaging, wide-ranging and fair exposition of an ordinarily difficult and dry subject.

The study of English is difficult on several levels. 'Until the invention of the gramophone and the tape-recorder there was no reliable way of examining everyday speech.' What did English sound like 200 years ago, or 400 years ago? 'English is--and has always been--in a state of ungovernable change, and the limits of scholarship are demonstrated by phrases like the famous 'Great Vowel Shift', hardly more informative than the 'unknown land' of early cartography.'

Of course, written language has until modern times been the limited and limiting commodity of a very small minority of people. The balance between the written and spoken language has a variable history, which can still be seen today (compare the writing of the New York Times against the speech patterns and vocabulary choices of any dozen persons you will find on the street in New York City, and this divergence will be readily apparent).

English has many varieties, and this book explores many of them, explaining that the writings and speech-patterns we see and hear as being foreign are actually English variants with a pedigree as strong as any Oxford University Press book would carry. From the Scots language which migrated to the Appalachian mountains to the Aussie languages adapted to Pacific Islands, to the ever-changing barrow speech of inner London, English speakers have a wide variety of possibilities that no one is truly master of all the language.

'If our approach seems more journalistic than scholastic, we felt this was appropriate for a subject that, unlike many academic studies, is both popular and newsworthy. Hardly a week goes by without a news story, often on the front page, devoted to some aspect of English: the 'decline' of standards; the perils and hilarities of Franglais or Japlish; the adoption of English as a 'national' language by another Third World county.'

English is, for international trade and commerce, for travel, for science and most areas of major scholarship, and many other groupings, the language not only of preference, but of required discourse.

In trying to find the length and breadth of English infusion into the world, past and present, MacNeil and primary authors Robert McCrum and William Cran have produced an engaging history, literary survey, sociology, and etymological joyride. By no means, however, are the major streams of English overlooked in favour of the minor tributaries--Shakespeare warrants most of his own chapter, as is perhaps fitting for the most linguistically-influential of all English speakers in history.

Of course, about this same time, the Authorised Version of the Holy Bible (better known as the King James Version) was also produced, with its own particular genius of language. 'It's an interesting reflection on the state of the language that the poetry of the Authorised Version came not from a single writer but a committee.'

There is a substantial difference in aspect of these two works -- whereas Shakespeare had a huge vocabulary, with no fear of coining new words and terms to suit his need, the King James Bible uses a mere 8000 words, making it generally acceptable to the everyman of the day. 'From that day to this, the Shakespearian cornucopia and the biblical iron rations represent, as it were, the North and South Poles of the language, reference points for writers and speakers throughout the world, from the Shakespearian splendour of a Joyce or Dickens to the biblical rigour of a Bunyan, or a Hemingway.'

From Scots to Anglesey, from the Bayou to the Barrier Reef, English is destined to be a, if not the, dominant linguistic force in the world for some time to come, particularly as the internet, the vast global communication network, is top-heavy with English, albeit an ever changing variety.

Revel in the glories of the English language, and seek out this fun book. Everyone will find something new.

After watching the series it is fun to see the information in print.

Just about everything you ever wanted to know about the English Language is in this book. There are newer and older references but none so complete and at the same time readable. This book covers history, usage, almost usage and possible futures of the language.

One of my favorite antidotes was the one about how the Advisory Committee on Spoken English (ACSE) discussed the word "canine":

"Shaw brought up the word 'canine', and he wanted the recommendation to be 'cay-nine'... And somebody said 'Mr. Shaw, Mr. Chairman, I don't know why you bring this up, of course it's 'ca-nine'. Shaw said, 'I always pronounce things the way they are pronounced by people who use the word professionally every day.' And he said, 'My dentist always says (cay-nine)'. And somebody said, 'Well, in that case, Mr. Chairman, you must have an American dentist.' And he said, 'Of course, why do you think at 76 I have all my teeth!'"

After reading about how English came about, the next book to read would be "Divided by a Common Language" by Christopher Davies, Jason Murphy

I read this book back in my 'English Conversation Teacher' days in Japan. Having been embrassed one to many times by students having to lecture me, their teacher, on the history of English, I figured I should do some 'catch-up reading.' I asked around for suggestions and was recommended 'The Story of English'.

It is free of the linguistic jargon most general readers would find pedantic, and although it is aimed at the general reader it is never condescending. The first half of the book explains the historical development of English while the second half focues on modern English.

Most refreshing though, is that it is free of the triumphalism found in many books of this kind. Reflecting the demographic reality of English today, it gives even-handed attention to the many contemporary varieties of English spoken around the world in places such as North America, Singapore, India, the Anglophone West Indies, and so on.

'The Story of English' is best suited to those who are curious about the origins as well as the future of English, and who want an easy-to-understand introduction to the subject.

Don't even consider any other flip chart book, they don't come close. This one has it all.. designing flip charts, arranging them, writing them, making them visually interesting. Tons of useful and helpful information.

This book, together with Picture's Worth 1,000 Words: A Workbook for Visual Communications by Jean Westcott and Jennifer Hammond Landau are all you need to become an effective visual communicator, even if you can't draw anything! If you think you're just not good with flip charts, buy these two and prepare to amaze yourself with the transformation!

I bought this book expecting to get a couple new ideas...boy was I surp rised. I got dozens of new tips that I'd never seen anywhere else. This guy knows his stuff related to flip charts!I'd highly recommend it to new and seasoned trainers and presenters.

The graphics and content are easy to follow, well organized, and practical.

Despite the prevalance of e-learning, the classroom remains the preferred training platform, both by students and trainers. Most classroom experiences would benefit immeasureably through the well-researched, practical techniques in the Creative Training Idea Book.

Beginning with the right foundation - how the adult brain learns - the book offers hundreds of ideas most trainers learn only through long trial and error (if at all). As the author discussed bread and butter subjects such as the multiple ways the classroom can be set up, how to use flipcharts effectively, how to tell stories, ideas for class evaluations or the best questioning techniques, I found myself agreeing with nearly every suggestion.

This book would have helped me become a seasoned presenter much earlier in my career. And although I'm now a seasoned facilitator with thousands of presentations under my belt, I still picked up some new ideas. Highly recommended for all stand-up trainers and presenters committed to delivering boredom-free, professional sessions.

I just read this book and all I can say is WOW! I got so many ideas for setting up classrooms that will enhance my training, engaging participants, stimulating learning and delivering training in a way that is effective and FUN, that I am not sure which strategy I want to use first. This book has terrific information and ideas for generating learner enthusiasm, rewarding participants, gaining learner involvement and rewarding positive behavior. The author really sets the tone for the entire boiok in the first chapter where he discusses research on brain-based learning, multiple intelligences, adult learning principles and much more. Throughout the book, he's also provided something he calls "bright ideas" and "Interim Reviews" for applying the information provided.
This is going to be a book I reference often and would encourage anyone involved in T&D to own.

The book includes articles that at this moment have become classical in economic theory. Being written by the leader of new classical economics this book helps one to enter the world of rational expectations macroeconomics.

New classical economics has been heavily criticized
from a variety of perspectives.
Still this book convinced me of the usefulness of this kind of exercises, e.g. with respect to questions like how strong an assumption is needed exactly to derive a particular result...

Clear pictures, heavy description. A very good book for anyone studying the Italian countryside.

Being a descendant of Robert Lucas I was very pleased to find a book about him and his family history. The book has tons of interesting information but is sometimes hard to read. Overall, the book is well worth the money especially if your interested in tracing the Lucas family back to the 1500's.

Ron Roberts has written 10 books, each one a gem. He is Professor of Sociology at the
University of Northern Iowa. He has always written pretty much what he wanted to write.
His books are a pleasure to read, as they take the reader through all the twists and turns of life.

Ordinary Ghosts tells the story of a small town in Iowa, where Ron Roberts grew up. By the time you are
done reading this book you will know some of the people, a few of the ghosts, and a lot
more than you ever wanted to know about such a place. Then again, as the book is so much fun to read,
my bet is you will sell your home in the city and move your family to Iowa. Ordinary Ghosts grabs you and
will not let go.

As a parent preparing for a first time college search, I have found The Winning Way to be extremely helpful. It is quite user-friendly and I particularly like the time line feature of what to do at each high school grade level. It has helped to make a sometimes confusing venture much easier.

This is a cookbook I probably wouldn't have bought it I had been able to flip through its pages before hand. I always avoid cookbooks with color pictures of all the food since color photos seem to always mean they are trying to distract you from other problems. Since Amazon gave me a great discount on it with another book I was considering getting, I went for it. In the end, I'm not dissappointed.

The first 36 pages are info about Burma, and I must admit the color photographs are all excellent. The recipes call for a lot of ingredients that are hard to come by in the small town where I live (small enough that butter is sometimes hard to come by), but they also look great. They are layed out well, and are easy to read. Some ingrediants have alternatives, but not nearly enough to make this usable by people who don't live in metropolitan area with specialty stores.

Burmese cookbooks are hard to come buy: there are relatively few in print, and this joins only a handful of competitors to bring the food of Burma to the modern kitchen. Fine color photos of completed dishes supplement dishes which do require access to an Oriental market, but which are surprisingly easy to produce. Fans of spicy Asian dishes will welcome this Burmese presentation.

This is an excellent cookbook for Burmese food. It not only contains numerous authentic recipes but it also has explanations on Burmese history, traditions, cooking methods, and Burmese ingredients. Recipes are easy to follow and illustrated with colorful pictures. I am from Burma (now living in US) and found the cuisines in the book to be a genuine Burmese food. Recipes are not westernize like in many other Asian cook books. If you are a Burmese in overseas or a fan of exotic food, this is definitely a must have book

I LOVE this book. I have always been a reader, but it usually takes me a long time. This book was easily finished in 2 days, just about a record. The detail just engulfs the reader. You can see everything. It's about 20 times better than the movie. Even if you are not a Star Wars fan, this book can easily make you one. The only downfall is that the famous "Help Me, Obi-Wan Kenobi" speech by Princess Leia has been altered. Even though, this book is an absolute must for any age. (I know, being only 16.) What else can I say? AMAZING!!!!

This is a really intresting & thrilling book! I definatly recomended this to those who well of course like Star Wars, but also to those who like a good sci-fi book! It starts out intresting & through the whole book it get's more & more intresting.This is one of those books, where u just want to read on & on.So read it!!

We're all familiar with the story, why read the book? That's what a lot of people ask, and I must say there's really not that many reasons to. Everything presented here is in the film, except for a few exceptions. We meet Luke a little earlier into the story, and he has a talk with his friend, Biggs Darklighter. Other than that, there's not a whole lot here that you can't see in the films.

However, as a book, it is most excellently written. The writing style is easy to get into and understand, and characters are written believably. A must-have for the Star Wars book collecter, a good choice of a library loan for anyone else.