{"product_id":"9781785307430","title":"Why Q Needs U : A history of our letters and how we use them","description":"\u003cp\u003e Author(s): Bate, Danny \u003cbr\u003e Binding: Hardback, \u003cbr\u003e Date of Publication: 02\/10\/2025,\u003cbr\u003e Pagination: 336 pages,\u003cbr\u003e ISBN13\\EAN\\SKU: 9781785307430,\u003cbr\u003e Description: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A wonderful achievement! A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet - each letter a hero with a remarkable story to tell. An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' STEPHEN FRYEvery letter you're reading right now has a fascinating story to tell, having been on a long linguistic, historical, political and social journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe English alphabet is a tool  we've inherited down the centuries from ancient creators around the world. The alphabet hasn't always had its present form, but rather has undergone all sorts of changes and evolutions to suit the needs of the time. Did you know that five English letters come from a single graphic grandparent? Or that we may know the specific person who invented the letter G? Do you know why Z is the sixth letter for the Greeks, yet the last for us? Or why Q needs to be followed by U?Linguistic expert Danny Bate takes readers on a fascinating odyssey through the English alphabet, not just to share fun facts but to reveal the alphabet's hidden mechanisms and inspire a newfound sense of wonder in this ancient tool. He will not only leave readers amazed by the letters they use every day but equipped to spot connections in languages across the world. He also aims to explain and defend the peculiar way English today uses these ancient symbols. Why does a silent final E turn hop into hope? Why are the Cs in circus pronounced differently? And why is there an L in salmon and a K in know?Each chapter is a self-contained adventure into history, etymology, politics and more, but will also contribute to a general appreciation for how our alphabet developed, how it has changed and how it fits into a wider world of writing.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Griffin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55899954938229,"sku":"9781785307430","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0379\/1365\/7388\/files\/9781785307430.jpg?v=1757062294","url":"https:\/\/www.griffinbooksonline.live\/products\/9781785307430","provider":"Griffin Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}