'Be short, be simple, be human.' When Sir Ernest Gowers first wrote Plain Words, it was intended simply as a guide to the proper use of English for the Civil Service. Within a year, however, its humour, charm and authority had made it a bestseller. Since then it has never been out of print. Six decades on, writer Rebecca Gowers has created a new edition of this now-classic work that both revises and celebrates her great-grandfather's original. Plain Words has been updated to reflect numerous changes in English usage, yet Sir Ernest's distinctive, witty voice is undimmed. And his message remains vital: our writing should be as clear and comprehensible as possible, avoiding superfluous words and clichés - from the jargon of 'commercialese' to the murky euphemisms of politicians. In a new preface, this edition draws on an extensive private archive, previously hidden away in family cupboards and attics, to tell the story behind a book that has become an institution: the essential guide to making yourself understood.

Plain Words

Reference

Gowers, Ernest

Gowers, Rebecca

Writing, Research & Publishing Guides

Particular Books

Nothing inflames language purists like an illogical irregardless or a hideous otherization. To a purist these are "howlers" and "non-words," fit only for scorn. But in their rush to condemn such terms, are the nay-sayers missing something? This provocative and hugely entertaining book shows how the diktats of the pedants are repeatedly based on misinformation, false reasoning and straight-up snobbery. The result is a brilliant work of history, a surreptitious introduction to linguistics, and a mischievous salute to misusers of the language. Crammed with fabulous anecdotes and quotes from language purists and abusers throughout history, including Jane Austen, James Joyce, and Wayne and Garth, it also speculates on new and future coinages ("innuendous," "webinarathon").

Horrible Words: A Guide to the Misuse of English

Humor & Entertainment

Humor

Penguin Uk

Scoundrel

Weidenfeld&Nicolson

The Scoundrel Harry Larkyns and his Pitiless Killing by the Photographer Eadweard Muybridge

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Kit, a work-obsessed literature student, decides on a whim to go to a dance class. And for a while it looks as if Joe, the shadowy figure she meets there, may tempt her to put her books aside and live a little. But as Joe’s world becomes increasingly threatening and Kit’s research leads her to stumble on a complex historical mystery, she is faced with a choice. should she hide away in her studies or make a leap of faith that could change her existence forever?The Twisted Heart is both a hugely enjoyable novel about the challenges of love and a startling exploration of previously unrecognized links between the young Charles Dickens and the deranged murder of a prostitute known as The Countess. Brilliantly weaving these threads together, The Twisted Heart confirms Gowers as one of the most exciting writers in Britain today.

The Twisted Heart

Literature & Fiction

Literary

HarperCollins, Publishers

Words, Language & Grammar

Canongate

When Kit goes to a dance class she is hoping simply to take her mind off her studies. Soon it looks like Joe, a stranger she meets there, might do more than that. But when Kit uncovers a mystery involving the young Charles Dickens and the slaughter of a prostitute known as The Countess, she is sucked back in to the world of books, and discovers how Dickens became tangled up with this horrendous crime.

Contemporary

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