WHY Q NEEDS U

A wonderful achievement A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet each letter a hero with a remarkable story to tell An absolutely delightful read filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight I just couldn t recommend it more highly STEPHEN FRY Every letter you re reading right now has a fascinating story to tell having been on a long linguistic historical political and social journey The English alphabet is a tool we ve inherited down the centuries from ancient creators around the world The alphabet hasn t always had its present form but rather has undergone all sorts of changes and evolutions to suit the needs of the time Did you know that five English letters come from a single graphic grandparent Or that we may know the specific person who invented the letter G Do you know why Z is the sixth letter for the Greeks yet the last for us Or why Q needs to be followed by U Linguistic expert Danny Bate takes readers on a fascinating odyssey through the English alphabet not just to share fun facts but to reveal the alphabet s hidden mechanisms and inspire a newfound sense of wonder in this ancient tool He will not only leave readers amazed by the letters they use every day but equipped to spot connections in languages across