Bookish Words & Their Surprising Stories

Editor, lecturer, and linguist Crystal (The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language; A Date with Language) offers readers a delightful new compendium of book-related English words and idiomatic phrases that are in common usage. Crystal prefaces the main content by noting that the word “book” comes from the Old English word “boc,” which has given rise to many other vocabulary words in its linguistic evolution. Historical narrative overviews for approximately 100 curated book-related words and phrases then follow. Each overview relates the word or phrase’s origin, its changing forms and meanings over time, and its current usage, all within four paragraphs or less. Entries are arranged alphabetically, allowing readers to either read straight through in a sequence or to browse entries of personal interest. Entries run the gamut from “bookworm,” “blurb,” and “deadline” to “cook the books,” “four-letter word,“ and “speak volumes.”