Wordsmiths and Warriors explores the heritage of English through the places in Britain that shaped it. It unites the warriors, whose invasions transformed the language, with the poets, scholars, reformers, and others who helped create its character.
The book relates a real journey. David and Hilary Crystal drove thousands of miles to produce this fascinating combination of English-language history and travelogue, from locations in south-east Kent to the Scottish lowlands, and from south-west Wales to the East Anglian coast. David provides the descriptions and linguistic associations, Hilary the full-colour photographs. They include a guide for anyone wanting to follow in their footsteps but arrange the book to reflect the chronology of the language. This starts with the Anglo-Saxon arrivals in Kent and in the places that show the earliest evidence of English. It ends in London with the latest apps for grammar. In between are intimate encounters with the places associated with such writers as Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth; the biblical Wycliffe and Tyndale; the dictionary compilers Cawdrey, Johnson, and Murray; dialect writers, elocutionists, and grammarians, and a host of other personalities.
Among the book's many joys are the diverse places that allow warriors such as Byrhtnoth and King Alfred to share pages with wordsmiths like Robert Burns and Tim Bobbin, and the unexpected discoveries that enliven every stage of the authors' epic journey.
Industry Reviews
`Part history, part travel guide, illustrated with high-quality colour photographs of places associated with the development of the language and those writers who used it to greatest effect, it is an original and ambitious project wonderfully realised.'
Evergreen 31/03/2014
`Language is a living thing, and Crystal is a lively, literate guide to the landmarks that signpost its long history.'
Iain Finlayson, The Times 21/09/2013
`A splendiferous, beautiful, colourful book that every language, history, archaeology and literature lover should have on their coffee tables and tucked under their arms when they get on a train to jaunt across the country.'
Huffington Post 11/03/2014
`Linguist David Crystal and his wife, Hilary, a speech therapist, cover a lot of ground, literally and figuratively, in this ambitious journey through the evolution of the English language.'
Publishers Weekly 09/12/2013
`No person who loves language and visiting places should be without this book - I can't praise it highly enough!'
Michele Clarke, Editing Matters, Society for Editors and Proofreaders 01/01/2014
`An absorbing read, delivered in Crystal's usual clear and enthusiastic style.'
The Good Book Guide
`An eloquent, learned guide offering inspiration for linguists and travellers alike.'
Sophie Mcgrath, Lonely Planet Traveller 01/11/2013
`If you're currently looking for a Christmas present for someone with an interest in English and its history, you might want to consider this gorgeous book'
Language Hat 14/12/2013
