The most recommended books about the English language

I live on the West Coast of B.C., just like Deborah Hodge, so this book resonates with me.

The cover describes it as a Nature Alphabet book. It's that and much more. Each letter is followed by a description of different life forms found on the shore or in the sea. And that's what makes it special for me, there's a balance of recognition and discovery.

Reading the poetic writing and looking at the painterly illustration brings me back to my childhood turning over rocks, discovering starfish and clams in the endless tidal pools. Again what makes this book work is the perfect balance of art and words. 

This book is the story of etymology: words and the mystery of their origin and utilization by writers and speakers. And of course, the story of the books that officially collect and define them. I made a list of new words, arcane and whimsical. It was amusing to guess which were legitimate usage and which were contrived to aid the narrator’s search for what is true and real. Wordplay is the name of the game. Obsessive main characters with a supporting cast of a lackadaisical cat and oddly motivated associates of the dictionary compilation project amused me up until the surprise ending. 

I stumbled upon this one in a library. Yes, they still have things called Libraries. And this book is a little ripper if you are writing fiction. 

If you have ever attempted to write a novel, you would have no doubt found yourself saying things like his heart was racing; he held his breath, a shiver ran up his spine, blah, blah, blah. It’s not until you go back through your manuscript that you realize how many times you have used the same descriptions. Over and over and over again. 

This little gem of a book is jam-packed with alternatives. It offers brilliant tips on expressing the same emotions and feelings with originality and without repetition.

And here is something totally different for you…

I read The Elements of Style several times in my life but I recently bought the illustrated edition of this little “bible.” The Elements of Style (illustrated) by Strunk/White/Kalman is not only a classic but something every English language writer (and reader) should check out! The colorful illustrations by Maira Kalman make the reading even more entertaining.

It’s not a surprise to me that this “style manual” has also appeared on a bestseller list. It’s not just a great, quick, and useful reading; it also makes a great gift for anyone interested in writing and in better understanding the English language.

Jonathon Green is the doyen of dirty words. Or, more respectfully, he is the premier lexicographer of the graphic, the dubious, and the obscene. For decades Green has been trawling obscure publications and other outré sources for examples of slang in the English language, and publishing dictionaries that are unmatched in their scope and detail. No term, however racist, sexist, classist, or any other kind of -ist, is too small to go unnoticed. In Odd Job Man, a mixture of autobiography and ruminations on bad language, Green describes himself as an ‘anatomist of the underbelly cutting not into ripe cadavers but into riper language.’ It’s a life’s work.

To be perfectly honest, the title is the best part of this book. None of the text is quite as funny as the concept, but the concept is worth the price of admission.

You can keep your A is for Apple and B is for Ball. I’ll take K is for Knight and D is for Djibouti.

It’s not likely that a toddler is going to need to spell “phlegm” any time soon, but it’s a fun read for the adult — and the grown-ups also need to be entertained by a book that’s going to be aloud 100 times. 

This book gave me a new perspective into the role that book and newspaper editors play in shaping the language—although they cannot stand unmoved against the strong currents of usage changes. And, I enjoyed discovering how words and usage trends have shifted in my own lifetime without my noticing: for example, how the verb sneak gained a new, irregular past tense (snuck). That snuck up on me!

Curzon’s voice is warm and witty rather than professorial—like a true “word nerd” friend. Reading this makes me feel better about my own word foibles.

Hey, if enough people do them and people understand what I mean, they’re legit—even if they make the grammarians cranky. (And, I love an author who uses the adjective cranky, as Curzon does. It takes the wind out of contentious debate.)

This book is old, like early 1900s. It was first drafted by William Strunk, Jr., who distributed a version to his students at Columbia University in 1919. E.B. White (author of Charlotte’s Web) modernized it in the ’50s. It went on to sell millions of copies and become one of the most influential guides to English. Why the history lesson? Because it’s remarkable how relevant it remains in 2022. It can feel dusty and literary, but it offers nuggets of wisdom like “omit needless words” that influence writers like me today. I shamelessly ripped off the concept of “elements” for my book. The “little book” is short—the fourth edition is 42 pages—but mighty. It deserves a spot on your physical or virtual bookshelf.    

What terrible tome would Morticia and Gomez have read to little Wednesday in order to ensure that she would have the most noxious nightmares? I believe they would’ve cracked open this gothic children’s classic, written and illustrated by the enigmatic Edward Gorey.

This book recites the alphabet, with each letter representing how a child died. Take, for instance, the representation of our second letter: “B is for Basil assaulted by bears.” What better way for a wicked whelp to learn her letters?

I both chuckled and winced while reading this book, especially with the paired black-and-white illustrations. It’s funny and deeply dark, which is, of course, the perfect mix for an Addams Family fan.

Don’t be put off by the dry-sounding title. This book is the authoritative A-Z reference on the “flowers of rhetoric”: all the “figures” and “tropes”, or twists and turns of language that make it beautiful, memorable – and persuasive.

But it’s more than just a geek-heaven cabinet of curiosities: it’s full of history and philosophy, of wisdom and humour. I know of no other scholarly reference book that brings more joy and amusement.