Henry Hitchings Libri

Part portrait of Britain's greatest man of letters, part guide to life, a witty and erudite re-evaluation of Dr Johnson's enduring importance and relevance

The English language is a battlefield. Since the age of Shakespeare, arguments over correct usage have been acrimonious, and those involved have always really been contesting values to do with morality, politics and class.

Explore the evolution of the English language and uncover the fascinating journey of how various words have shaped its development. This book delves into the historical influences and cultural exchanges that have enriched English, providing insights into its diverse vocabulary and the stories behind the words we use today.

Recalling the story of the first great lexicon of English, the author reveals how Samuel Johnson arduously assembled his eighteenth-century dictionary--a task that ultimately helped make English into a major European language.

C o n t e n t s Introduction: A Place to Pause Henry Hitchings Bookshop Time Ali Smith Something that Doesn't Exist Andrey Kurkov The Pillars of Hercules Ian Sansom A Tale of Two Bookshops Juan Gabriel Vásquez Leitner and I Sasa Stanisic All that Offers a Happy Ending Is a Fairy Tale Yiyun Li If You Wound a Snake... Alaa Al Aswany Desiderium: The Accidental Bookshop of Nairobi Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor Snow Day Michael Dirda Dussmann: A Conversation Daniel Kehlmann La Palmaverde Stefano Benni A Bookshop in the Age of Progress Pankaj Mishra Intimacy Dorthe Nors Bohemia Road Iain Sinclair My Homeland Is Storyland Elif Shafak Writers' Biographies Translators' Biographies

Journey into the history of English and discover how words have been absorbed into our language to make it what it is today.

Henry Hitchings presents an amusing, illuminating and quirky audit of English manners. Ranging from basic table manners to appropriate sexual conduct, via hospitality, chivalry, faux pas and online etiquette, he traces the history of our country's customs and courtesies. Putting under the microscope some of our most astute observers of humanity, including Jane Austen and Samuel Pepys, he uses their lives and writings to pry open the often downright peculiar secrets of English behaviour.

Daniel Kehlmann sinniert über die Zukunft des Buchhandels und den dringlichen Wunsch, nicht angesprochen zu werden. Saša Stanišic’ geht der Frage nach, wie man in einer neuen Stadt einen »Dealer« findet, ohne an einen Besserwisser zu geraten oder – noch schlimmer – an jemanden, der sich erkundigt, ob man denn »den und den Klassiker bereits probiert hat«. Elif Shafak beschwört die Atmosphäre einer Istanbuler Buchhandlung herauf – ihr Chaos und ihre Vielfalt, den Geruch nach Tabak und Kaffee – während Ali Smith den Geheimnissen nachspürt, die sich zwischen den Seiten antiquarischer Bücher verbergen. 15 Schriftsteller aus aller Welt schwelgen in Erinnerungen und erörtern die soziale, kulturelle und politische Funktion von Buchhandlungen, stellen Läden vor, über die sie zufällig gestolpert sind und die sie lieben gelernt haben – ob in Bogotá oder Delhi, in London oder Berlin, in Kopenhagen oder Nairobi.