Melvyn Bragg

BOOK TWO IN THE CUMBRIAN TRILOGY'Masterly'Daily Telegraph'A graceful and confident writer'ObserverJust like his father before him, Joseph Tallantire is determined to make something of himself. But life isn't easy for an uneducated young man in Cumberland, a forgotten corner of the country where opportunities are scarce. As the Second World War plunges Britain into further turmoil, Joseph must endure hardship and loss on his journey to independence.

REISSUED AS A SCEPTRE 30TH CLASSIC, with a new afterword by the author. English is the collective work of millions of people throughout the ages. It is democratic, ever-changing and ingenious in its assimilation of other cultures. English runs through the heart of world finance, medicine and the Internet, and it is understood by around two thousand million people across the world. Yet it was very nearly wiped out in its early years. In this book Melvyn Bragg shows us the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language. THE ADVENTURE OF ENGLISH is not only an enthralling story of power, religion and trade, but also the story of people, and how their day-to-day lives shaped and continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.