Bookish Words & their Surprising Stories

David Crystal

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English

Bodleian Library
01 April 2025

linguistics; Sociolinguistics; Historical & comparative linguistics

The world of books has played a striking role in the history of English vocabulary. Book itself is one of the oldest words in the language, originating from boc in Old English, and appears in many commonly used expressions today

by the book, bring to book and bookworm

to name a few.

With the arrival of printing, typesetting and the development of the newspaper industry came terminology that developed into commonly used phrases such as stop the press, front-page news and hit the headlines, and the emergence of the internet generated still more.

This anthology presents a selection of more than 100 words which show the influence of writing, reading and publishing books on our everyday vocabulary over the centuries, telling the stories behind their linguistic origins, and uncovering some surprising twists in the development of their meaning through time.

By: David Crystal
Imprint: Bodleian Library
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 184mm, Width: 118mm,
ISBN: 9781851246519
ISBN 10: 1851246517
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 01 April 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

David Crystal is a writer, editor, lecturer and broadcaster on language, and honorary professor of linguistics at Bangor University. His many books include The Cambridge Encyclopedia of English Language (CUP 3rd edn, 2019) and A Date with Language (Bodleian Library 2023). He lives online at www.davidcrystal.com.

Reviews for Bookish Words & their Surprising Stories

What’s your favorite boc? Originally, the Old English word that has since become our “book” referred to any written text, including legal documents, catalogues, or charters...This and other etymological gems can be found in David Crystal’s Bookish Words & Their Surprising Stories. * The Critic's Notebook * If you are a bookworm, you will be delighted to discover that this book will provide you with chapter and verse on the origins of certain bookish words and phrases which have made their way into everyday usage. -- Terry Freedman * Bookshelf, Reviews *