A review by ellis_mc
The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg

3.0

Let's say 3.5 stars. Yes, the continuous treatment of English as an anthropomorphic entity with a will of its own does kind of wear thin. But there's lots of interesting anecdotes about where words come from (I particularly liked the murky and contested origins of the word 'okay'), pretty decent treatment of English's imperial legacy, and plenty of gentle mocking of those who would point to one way of speaking as "correct". Overall if etymology excites you then check it out, but otherwise it likely won't be of interest.