'This spell-binding collection will carry you off to shops near, far, lost and imagined' Mail on Sunday 'All these writers convey the magic of bookshops' Guardian A cabinet of curiosities, a time machine, a treasure trove - we love bookshops because they possess a unique kind of magic. In Browse Henry Hitchings asks fifteen writers from around the world to consider bookshops that have shaped them: each conjures a specific time and place. Ali Smith chronicles the secrets and personal stories hidden within the pages of secondhand books; Alaa Al Aswany tells of the Cairo bookshop where revolutionaries gathered during the 2011 uprisings Elif Shafak evokes the bookstores of Istanbul, their chaos and diversity, their aroma of tobacco and coffee. Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor recalls the quandary of being asked to choose just one book at a favourite childhood store in Nairobi, while Iain Sinclair shares his grief on witnessing a beloved old haunt close down. Others explore bookshops they have stumbled upon, adored and become addicted to, from London to Bogotá. These inquisitive, enchanting pieces are a collective celebration of bookshops - for anyone who has ever fallen under their spell.
Henry Hitchings Volgorde van de boeken (chronologisch)
Henry Hitchings is een auteur wiens werken zich verdiepen in de complexiteit van taal en de geschiedenis ervan. Zijn geschriften onderzoeken hoe woorden onze gedachten vormen en hoe betekenissen in de loop van de tijd evolueren. Hitchings' stijl kenmerkt zich door zijn diepgang en scherpzinnigheid bij het ontdekken van de verborgen stromingen binnen de taalkunde. Zijn werk spreekt lezers aan die gefascineerd zijn door de kracht en nuance van taal.






Sorry!: the English and their manners
- 400bladzijden
- 14 uur lezen
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.
The Language Wars
- 408bladzijden
- 15 uur lezen
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.
Journey into the history of English and discover how words have been absorbed into our language to make it what it is today.
Dr Johnson's Dictionary
The Extraordinary Story of the Book that Defined the World
- 278bladzijden
- 10 uur lezen
One man. 42,773 entries. The brilliant story of how Dr Johnson succeded in writing the first great English Dictionary By 1700, France and Italy already had dictionaries of their own, and it became a matter of national pride that England should rival them. Dr Johnson rose to the challenge, turning over the garret of his London home to the creation of his Dictionary. He imagined it would take three years. Eight years later it was finally published, full of idiosyncrasies, but complete nevertheless. It would become the most important British cultural monument of the eighteenth century. This is the story of Johnson's attempt to define each and every word. In wonderfully engaging chapters, Hitchings describes Johnson's adventure - his ambition and vision, his moments of despair, the mistakes he made along the way and his ultimate triumph.
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.
Persuasion
- 264bladzijden
- 10 uur lezen
The Penguin English Library Edition of Persuasion by Jane Austen 'Her attachment and regrets had, for a long time, clouded every enjoyment of youth; and an early loss of bloom and spirits had been their lasting effect' Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel, is a moving, masterly and elegiac love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities. It tells the story of Anne Elliot, who, persuaded to break off her engagement to the man she loved because he was not successful enough, has never forgotten him. When he returns, he brings with him a tantalizing second chance of happiness ... The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War.
