Alphabetical: how every letter tells a story
(Book)
"How on Earth did we fix upon our twenty-six letters, what do they really mean, and how did we come to write them down in the first place? Michael Rosen takes you on an unforgettable adventure through the history of the alphabet in twenty-six vivid chapters, fizzing with personal anecdotes and fascinating facts. Starting with the mysterious Phoenicians and how sounds first came to be written down, he races on to show how nonsense poems work, pins down the strange story of OK, traces our five lost lettersand tackles the tyranny of spelling, among many many other things. His heroes of the alphabet range from Edward Lear to Phyllis Pearsall (the inventor of the A-Z), and from the two scribes of Beowulf to rappers. Each chapter takes on a different subject - whether it's codes, umlauts or the writing of dictionaries. Rosen's enthusiasm for letters positively leaps off the page, whether it's the story of his life told through the typewriters he's owned or a chapter on jokes written in a string of gags and word games. This is the book for anyone who's ever wondered why Hawaiian only has a thirteen-letter alphabet or how exactly to write down the sound of a wild raspberry"--
Notes
Rosen, M. (2015). Alphabetical: how every letter tells a story. Berkeley, California, Pgw.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Rosen, Michael, 1946-. 2015. Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story. Berkeley, California, Pgw.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Rosen, Michael, 1946-, Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story. Berkeley, California, Pgw, 2015.
MLA Citation (style guide)Rosen, Michael. Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story. Berkeley, California, Pgw, 2015.
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Mar 17, 2024 06:30:28 AM |
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Last File Modification Time | Mar 17, 2024 06:30:53 AM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Mar 17, 2024 06:30:34 AM |
MARC Record
LEADER | 02584nam 2200385 i 4500 | ||
---|---|---|---|
001 | BK0015192566 | ||
003 | DLC | ||
005 | 20140930185608.0 | ||
008 | 140919s2015 cau e b 001 0 eng | ||
010 | |a 2014035051 | ||
020 | |a 9781619024830|c 25.00 | ||
020 | |a 1619024837|c 25.00 | ||
037 | |b Pgw, C/O Perseus Distribution 1094 Flex Dr, Jackson, TN, USA, 38301|n SAN 631-760X | ||
040 | |a DLC|b eng|c DLC|e rda | ||
050 | 0 | 0 | |a P211|b .R65 2015 |
082 | 0 | 0 | |a 421/.1|2 23 |
092 | |a 421.1000 | ||
100 | 1 | |a Rosen, Michael,|d 1946-,|e author | |
245 | 1 | 0 | |a Alphabetical :|b how every letter tells a story /|c Michael Rosen. |
260 | |b Pgw|c 2015 | ||
264 | 1 | |a Berkeley, California :|b Counterpoint,|c 2015. | |
300 | |a xv, 431 pages :|b illustrations ;|c 24 cm | ||
336 | |a text|2 rdacontent | ||
337 | |a unmediated|2 rdamedia | ||
338 | |a volume|2 rdacarrier | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references and index. | ||
520 | |a "How on Earth did we fix upon our twenty-six letters, what do they really mean, and how did we come to write them down in the first place? Michael Rosen takes you on an unforgettable adventure through the history of the alphabet in twenty-six vivid chapters, fizzing with personal anecdotes and fascinating facts. Starting with the mysterious Phoenicians and how sounds first came to be written down, he races on to show how nonsense poems work, pins down the strange story of OK, traces our five lost lettersand tackles the tyranny of spelling, among many many other things. His heroes of the alphabet range from Edward Lear to Phyllis Pearsall (the inventor of the A-Z), and from the two scribes of Beowulf to rappers. Each chapter takes on a different subject - whether it's codes, umlauts or the writing of dictionaries. Rosen's enthusiasm for letters positively leaps off the page, whether it's the story of his life told through the typewriters he's owned or a chapter on jokes written in a string of gags and word games. This is the book for anyone who's ever wondered why Hawaiian only has a thirteen-letter alphabet or how exactly to write down the sound of a wild raspberry"--|c Provided by publisher. | ||
650 | 0 | |a Alphabet|x History. | |
650 | 0 | |a Alphabet in literature. | |
650 | 0 | |a Writing. | |
907 | |a .b23996286 | ||
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998 | |e -|d a |f eng|a el|a nl|a wa |