Face with Tears of Joy

A Natural History of Emoji

Keith Houston

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Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Norton
11 September 2025

Communication studies; Society & Social Sciences; Popular culture; History of engineering & technology; Computing: general; Graphical & digital media applications

We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics, movies, drug deals, our sex lives, and more. But emoji's impact has never been explored in full. Named for the world's most popular pictogram, Face with Tears of Joy tells the whole story of emoji for the first time.

In this rollicking tech and pop culture history, Keith Houston follows emoji from their birth in 1990s Japan, traces their Western explosion in the 2000s, and considers emoji's ever-expanding lexicon. Along the way, Houston explores vital developments in tech history and reveals the body of technocrats governing this 3,600-character language. He also addresses the eggplants in the room: risqué emojis, controversy, and accusations of ""selling out."" Finally, readers learn about the future of emoji, as some of the language's pioneers consider what comes next. Face with Tears of Joy is a language- and tech-lover's delight, stuffed with gloriously nerdy details, illustrations, and fun.

By: Keith Houston
Imprint: Norton
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 211mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 327g
ISBN: 9781324075141
ISBN 10: 1324075147
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 11 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Keith Houston is the author of Face with Tears of Joy, Empire of the Sum, Shady Characters, and The Book. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and on Mental Floss, BBC Culture, and Literary Hub. He lives in Linlithgow, Scotland.

Reviews for Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji

[A] fun romp through the evolution of digital language...this is equal parts informative and delightful.-- ""Publishers Weekly"" Houston's enthusiasm for the emoji's creativity, use, and function comes to the fore, and reading the book feels like grabbing a coffee with a friend and listening to them happily describe their most recent interests and discoveries.--Monique Martinez ""Library Journal"" Houston knows that any language whose mascot is a smiling poop pile can be treated only so seriously, so the text is charmingly filled with emoji as illustrations and within sentences, making it both a product of a new way of communicating as well as a study of it. A pleasurable and well-researched journey into pop iconography.-- ""Kirkus Reviews""