The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book: Lexical perplexities and cracking conundrums from across the globe
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
From the bestselling author of Alex’s Adventures in Numberland and Can You Solve My Problems? comes a fascinating, hugely entertaining collection of puzzles for crossword addicts and language-lovers of all stripes.
‘The only puzzle book I’ve seen that manages to befuddle both sides of the brain at the same time.’
DARA Ó BRIAIN
‘Such fun, full of unexpected ideas and charmingly written.’
TIM HARFORD
The Language Lover’s Puzzle Book is a book of more than 100 surprising and entertaining puzzles that celebrate the amazing diversity of the world of words and language.
Featuring a huge variety of ancient, modern and even invented languages, this collection of problems will introduce you to unusual alphabets and scripts, curious vocabularies and phonologies, and global variations in simple behaviours like counting, telling the time, and naming children.
Whether you are a crossword solver, a code-breaker or a Scrabble addict, these puzzles are guaranteed to twist your tongue and sharpen your mind.
‘Alex Bellos is a dazzling polymath whose cleverness and ingenuity are on full display in this utterly brilliant and original collection of linguistic puzzles. This book is destined to be a classic for puzzle lovers.’
JOSHUA FOER, co-founder of Atlas Obscura and author Moonwalking with Einstein
‘An irresistible linguistic workout ― challenging and deeply satisfying.’
GASTON DORREN, author of Lingo and Babel
‘For all the language and puzzle fans in your life!’ GRETCHEN McCULLOCH
‘A cornucopia of ingenious and insightful challenges.’ DAVID CRYSTAL
‘This compendium of puzzles is a great idea.’ MICHAEL ROSEN
‘You’ll love what Alex Bellos has done here.’ GYLES BRANDRETH
‘Tantalisting.’ THE ECONOMIST
‘The perfect way to pass the time.’ BBC SCIENCE FOCUS
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Additional information
| Publisher | Guardian Faber Publishing, Main edition (7 Oct. 2021) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 416 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1783352191 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1783352197 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 2.5 x 19.8 cm |
by Chris Browne
Gave it as a gift to my Mum, she loves puzzles and learning languages, so absolutely perfect 🙂
by Konstantinos R
I have waited for this book to be released and since I got it, I can hardly take my hands off it. It is stimulating yet unbelievably entertaining. I recommend this book 100% for language enthusiasts and people who love code-breaking puzzles!
by Amazon Customer
I don’t normally write reviews, but I had to make an exception for this. It is by far my favourite book ever.
As someone who rarely finishes fiction or non-fiction books (too short an attention span and too many screen-based distractions), I found this utterly captivating from start to finish. There is so much information packed in, and the puzzles feel like they are primarily there to simply keep you engaged and ensure you are paying attention to the snippets of text.
This book is all about the history and evolution of languages. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly into history (I hated it at school and am still bored to death by museums) and whilst I have always been interested in the relationship between languages, I was never somebody who wanted to learn one beyond the basics. However, I love geography, travel and (I think importantly) evolution. If you find any of these subjects interesting, I think you will love this book. I should also note that I do enjoy puzzles and challenging my brain, but I presume anyone considering this book does too.
The other great thing about this book is that, unlike most, if you find any particular puzzle too difficult (and many of them are real brain-burners), you will still enjoy reading the long explanations that accompany the solutions, and learn loads through this process.
I can’t recommend it highly enough!
by Susan Hannis
For those who are intrigued by languages, their variety and quirks, this is a real treat. I wanted to keep it for long dark evenings, but once opened I couldn’t put it down. It is full of information, not just about familiar languages but the extraordinary and extinct. A wonderful present for linguistics freaks or puzzle addicts.
by Jay P
Bought as a present- not read, but the recipient was happy with it!
by Ali
So much fun. Fascinating. Real languages, different people different ideas.
by bucherwurm
Having just received the book and dipped into it (it’s really a present for a language graduate grandchild), I am disappointed that there appears to be no mention of the cyrillic script or any of the Slavonic languages! A chance for a second book?
by Trent Traveller
This book has kept our boy entertained on trips and hols all year (so far). A real hit for a language loving student