The book, like the television series, is a collective enterprise. Helen Williamson, my co-director, and the production team of Annie Macnee, Lucy Wallace, Lucy Tate and Clare Bennett all worked tirelessly and joyfully making the films happen. Simon Ffrench and Adam Toy made the sound and pictures sing, whilst Masahiro Hirakubo, Mikhael Junod and Paul Burgess skilfully edited the hours and hours of material.
At Sprout Pictures, Gina Carter, Zoe Rocha and Emily Martin provided back-up whenever it was needed. I’m particularly grateful to Janice Hadlow and Mark Bell at the BBC for having the courage to commission a series about words.
So many people, too numerous to mention individually, have contributed their time and expertise over the past two years; they are the heart and soul of the series and the book. Arika Okrent, Steven Pinker, Declan Kiberd, Paul Frommer, Ray Dolland and Cathy Price were ever generous with their time. In particular I would like to thank Nigel Williams, Robert McCrum, Guy Deutscher and Sir Christopher Ricks for their help and insights throughout.
And lastly, thank you, Robbie, Calum, Ellie and Louis, who have had to bear so many conversations about language that my wife, Margaret Magnusson, and I often forgot to talk to them.
MICHAEL JOSEPH
Published by the Penguin Group
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First published 2011
Copyright © J. P. Davidson, 2011
The moral right of the author has been asserted
The notes on pp. 407-27 constitute an extension of this copyright page
Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders. The publishers will be glad to rectify in future editions any errors or omissions brought to their attention
All rights reserved
Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book
ISBN: 978-0-14-196893-3
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