'A writer of genius' - William Dalrymple'Remarkable' - Kwame Anthony Appiah'Utterly captivating' - Anthony DoerrCan anyone really own a culture?

An award-winning New York Times bestseller, the incredible true story of a couple that escaped slavery in the South and eventually made their way to the UK, Africa and beyond.

Every single one of the letters you're reading right now can tell a fascinating story, having been on a long linguistic, historical, political and social journey to reach this very page. The English alphabet is a tool that we've inherited down the centuries from ancient creators around the world.