Product Code: B2D6205
ISBN: 9789123918348
Titles in this set:1. The Elements of Eloquence
2. The Horologicon
3. The Etymologicon
Description:
The Elements of Eloquence
How To Turn the Perfect English Phrase
Mark Forsyth presents the secret of writing unforgettable phrases, uncovering the techniques that have made immortal such lines as ‘To be or not to be’ and ‘Bond. James Bond.’
In his inimitably entertaining and witty style, he takes apart famous quotations and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde or John Lennon.
Crammed with tricks to make the most humdrum sentiments seem poetic or wise, The Elements of Eloquence reveals how writers through the ages have turned humble words into literary gold – and how you can do the same.
The Horologicon
A Day's Jaunt Through the Lost Words of the English Language
Mark Forsyth presents a delightfully eccentric day in the life of unusual, beautiful and forgotten English words.
From uhtceare in the hours before dawn through to dream drumbles at bedtime, The Horologicon gives you the extraordinary lost words you never knew you needed.
Wake up feeling rough? Then you’re philogrobolized. Pretending to work? That’s fudgelling (which may lead to rizzling if you feel sleepy after lunch). A Radio 4 Book of the Week, The Horologicon is an eye-opening, page-turning celebration of the English language at its most endearingly arcane.
The Etymologicon
A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
The Etymologicon is an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language.
What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces?
Mark Forsyth’s riotous celebration of the idiosyncratic and sometimes absurd connections between words is a classic of its kind: a mine of fascinating information and a must-read for word-lovers everywhere.