★ 11/10/2014
What could be more straightforward than the alphabet? And yet those familiar 26 symbols offer much food for thought, as Rosen (We’re Going on a Bear Hunt), former Children’s Laureate of Britain, so delightfully shows here. His beguiling journey through the alphabet will entrance anyone interested in the quirks of language and its history. Each letter receives a brief description of its written evolution and the pronunciation of its name and its sounds, followed by a relevant topic beginning with that letter, such as “D is for Disappeared Letters” and “O is for OK.” The chapter on Rosen’s personal history with typewriters, “Q is for QWERTY,” will be a particular highlight for readers of a certain age. The diverse topics he covers also include printing fonts, diacritics (“U is for Umlauts”), and the ways that the alphabet can be manipulated to encrypt secrets. Rosen has written a charming and thought-provoking book about what written language represents, how we use it, and the joys and mysteries therein. His humor and obvious love for his subject are winning elements. The individualized graphics of each letter at the start of their respective chapters add an extra note of whimsy and pleasure. (Feb.)
02/15/2015
Author Rosen, the host of BBC Radio 4's "Word of Mouth," covers many topics in the context of the alphabet in this winding trip through language, letters, and other things of literary interest. Readers are likely to find out fascinating tidbits of information about topics they may not have explored before: ciphers, Beowulf, thorn and eth, reading instruction, horn books, typewriters, and more. Each chapter addresses a letter, with two to three pages of history and an accompanying essay that may have only the slimmest relation. In some cases, the letters are more of a jumping-off point than an alphabetical issue. So every letter does tell a story; it just might not be what you would expect for that letter. While some opinions may be disagreeable (Quit teaching handwriting to kids? Put representatives in charge of choosing reading?), the author certainly has a grasp on current education practices, including spelling reform. VERDICT The overall delivery is solid and comprehensive. Britishisms abound, but most Americans interested in the subject will find that easy enough to get around. It's like Oliver Jeffers's Once Upon an Alphabet for grown-ups.—Linda White, Maplewood, MN
★ 2014-11-04
A poet, writer of children's books and host of BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth tells the history of each letter in our alphabet.Rosen (Fighters for Life: Selected Poems, 2007, etc.) shows a capacious curiosity and imagination in a work that, in lesser hands, would glaze the eyes of all but the most nerdy language freaks. He proceeds alphabetically (duh) but also in a sort of defiantly digressive way. For each letter, the author provides—in sort of dictionary fashion—some of its history, evolution, pronunciation(s) and, for many, some "sound play" involving the letter. Regarding N, for instance, Rosen mentions "ninny," "no-no" and "nanny" (among others). These initial pages for each letter are informative and good for reference, but the remainder of each section is even better. For example, for C, he discusses ciphers, the Enigma code and even Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth I's spymaster. For K, he spends some time with Korean and with the recent YouTube phenomenon of "Gangnam Style." S takes us into signs and symbols, from Morse code to the International Phonetic Alphabet. And Z? ZIP codes. Along the way, we learn about Beowulf, e.e. cummings, George Bernard Shaw's disdain for the apostrophe, our fondness for initials, a bit about that old song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," the history of okay, the history of shorthand, why rhyme has an h, Noah Webster and the Urban Dictionary. Rosen also is mellow about "correctness" in usage and punctuation ("Our personal histories and feelings are wrapped up in what the letters and their means of transmission mean to each of us") and shows little sorrow for the disappearance of handwriting in schools; in fact, he thinks our current emphasis on it doesn't make much sense. A delightfully informative book about letters, their meanings, and the words and meanings we derive from them.
"The book was probably as much fun to write as it is to read. This is a joyous grab–bag of a book."—Longview News–Journal
"His love of language tumbles across the pages of his new book, which is an A–to–Z treasury of linguistic oddities. Reading it is like listening to an erudite uncle hold forth on everything from accent marks to zingers."—Dallas Morning News
"Rosen is curious, enthusiastic and open–minded about how the alphabet should be used, all qualities he inspires in the reader."—Columbus Dispatch
"...voraciously curious...But Rosen is so beguiling, so self–deprecating, so inventive and passionate and funny, that it's hard to begrudge him his enthusiasms. If anyone can make the alphabet a source of boundless awe and wonder, it's the exuberant Rosen, whose fervor is contagious"—Boston Globe
"Readers are likely to find out fascinating tidbits of information about topics they may not have explored before....The overall delivery is solid and comprehensive....It's like Oliver Jeffers's Once Upon an Alphabet for grown–ups." —Library Journal
"Rosen shows a capacious curiosity and imagination in a work that, in lesser hands, would glaze the eyes of all but the most nerdy language freaks.
These initial pages for each letter are informative and good for reference, but the remainder of each section is even better.
A delightfully informative book about letters, their meanings, and the words and meanings we derive from them." —Kirkus, Starred Review
"His beguiling journey through the alphabet will entrance anyone interested in the quirks of language and its history.
Rosen has written a charming and thought–provoking book about what written language represents, how we use it, and the joys and mysteries therein. His humor and obvious love for his subject are winning elements.The individualized graphics of each letter at the start of their respective chapters add an extra note of whimsy and pleasure." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"
engaging exploration
a quirky and informative collection of fun tidbits.
The book entertainingly proves that the ABCs have something to teach us all." —Booklist
"Substantial and engaging." — The Guardian
"Forget party crackers – when you settle down to the turkey and trimmings this year simply make sure you have this book to hand. There's even a chapter devoted to family friendly alphabet games: perfect for playing after the Queen's been on. That letters can and should be fun, not just functional, is one of the main messages of this book." — Sunday Telegraph