Language Visible, by David Sacks

Retrieved from: The library
(0767911725)

This looked interesting when it came through the cataloging pile at work. The subtitle is "Unraveling the Mystery of the Alphabet from A to Z." It traces the history of writing from Phoenician (or pre-Phoenician even) through Greek, Etruscan, and Roman writing all the way past the Middle Ages and movable type to now.

There are very very interesting details about each letter. It's interesting to know that a mere 200 years ago the English alphabet had only 24 letters: J and U were absent, at least in an official capacity as separate letters. The author discusses fonts (Goudy, Times New Roman, etc.) and "voiced velar stops" (that would be a 'G') and combines all this into a tasty stew of letters and history.

How much more fun can I have??