Philip Gooden Libros

Winner of the HRH Duke of Edinburgh English Speaking Union English Language Book Award 2006. An award winning language book, this is a lively and engaging expose on the foreign words and phrases that populate our language.

War words have embedded themselves in our collective psyche; British politicians are fond of invoking the 'Dunkirk spirit' whenever the country is faced with major crisis or even minor adversity, and Roosevelt's famous description of Pearl Harbor as 'a date which will live in infamy' was echoed by many US commentators after the 9/11 attacks. So far, so familiar. Or is it? How many of us know, for instance, that 'Keep Calm and Carry On', far from achieving its morale-boosting aim, was considered at the time to be deeply patronizing by the people it was directed at, and so had only limited distribution? The Word at War explores 100 phrases spawned and popularized in the lead-up and during the conflict of World War Two. Substantial essays explore and explain the derivations of, and the stories behind, popular terms and phraseology of the period, including wartime speeches (and the words of Churchill, Hitler and FDR); service slang; national stereotypes; food and drink; and codewords.

Snowflake, elite, expert . . . What are today's 'bad words' and what do they say about us, both as individuals and as a society?

The latest witty, colourful Shakespearean murder mystery in the Nick Revill series

From its first arrival in Britain with the Norman forces of William the Conqueror, violence and revenge are the cursed sword's constant companions. From an election-rigging scandal in 13th century Venice to the battlefield of Poitiers in 1356, as the Sword of Shame passes from owner to owner in this compelling collection of interlinked mysteries, it brings nothing but bad luck and disgrace to all who possess it.

Lists in alphabetical order some of the more commonly confused English words with definitions, examples of proper and improper usage, and how to avoid typical mistakes.

A richly entertaining exploration of the origins of the words that English has borrowed from other languages over its 1500-year history.

Idiomantics is a unique exploration of the world of idiomatic phrases. To cite three examples - from American English, Dutch and Italian - what on Earth are a snow job, a monkey sandwich story, and Mr Punch's secret? Idiomantics explains all...

The extraordinary story of the development and spread of the English language, from Dark Age Britain to the age of the Internet.

History meets mystery with a new twist in this raucous, colourful novel set in the bustling theatrical world of Shakespeare and Marlowe during the reign of the formidable Elizabeth I.