The Story of English is the extraordinary tale of the origins and development of the English language. Two thousand years ago English was confined to a handful of savage tribes on the shores of north-west Europe; More widely scattered, written and spoken than any other language in history, English has become a global phenomenon.

A SUNDAY TIMES TOP 100 NOVEL OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY#11 in the New York Times '100 Best Books of the 21st Century'A ghetto nerd living with his Dominican family in New Jersey, Oscar's sweet but disastrously overweight.

There are tales of footballing bees and Viking mice, the beginning of the thesaurus and the end of the library of Alexandria. Spend just two minutes a day with this glorious almanac of curious treasure and you'll end your year full of wonder and just that little bit wiser.

A joyous exploration of the cultural phenomenon that created Mario, Zelda and Pokmon, and an ode to our love of gaming, by one of the most trusted voices in video games writing.

What a great, shaking, grieving party this book is - the best.' Eileen Myles'I read with the aching intensity of a person possessed ...

How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist?She stumbled backwards, her eyes wide, as the figure started coming out of the canvas... She tried to be brave. Well, she said, her hands only a little shaky, at least tell me what I should call you.

... Well, little girl, it replied, I suppose you can call me Pet. There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught.

With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown...

There are tales of footballing bees and Viking mice, the beginning of the thesaurus and the end of the library of Alexandria. Spend just two minutes a day with this brilliant almanac of curious treasure and you'll end your year full of wonder and just that little bit wiser.

It was the summer of 1983. Barbara Kingsolver had a day job as a scientific writer spends her weekends cutting her teeth as a freelance journalist when she landed an assignment. Her mission: was to cover the Phelps Dodge mine strike.Over the year that followed Kingsolver stood with those miners and their families, increasingly engaged and heartbroken. She recorded stories of striking miners and their stunningly courageous wives, sisters and daughters. She saw rights she'd taken for granted de...