Book picks similar to
The Miracle of Language by Charlton Grant Laird
language
writing
nonfiction
non-fiction
Confabulations
John Berger - 2016
and this creature's home is the inarticulate as well as the articulate.’ John Berger's work has revolutionized the way we understand visual language. In this new book he writes about language itself, and how it relates to thought, art, song, storytelling and political discourse today. Also containing Berger's own drawings, notes, memories and reflections on everything from Albert Camus to global capitalism, Confabulations takes us to what is ‘true, essential and urgent’.
Write Novels Fast: Writing Faster With Art Journaling
Shéa MacLeod - 2017
WITHOUT the quality suffering.
How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading
Mortimer J. Adler - 1940
It is the best and most successful guide to reading comprehension for the general reader. And now it has been completely rewritten and updated. You are told about the various levels of reading and how to achieve them – from elementary reading, through systematic skimming and inspectional reading, to speed reading, you learn how to pigeonhole a book, X-ray it, extract the author's message, criticize. You are taught the different reading techniques for reading practical books, imaginative literature, plays, poetry, history, science and mathematics, philosophy and social science. Finally, the authors offer a recommended reading list and supply reading tests whereby you can measure your own progress in reading skills, comprehension and speed.This a previously-published edition of ISBN 9780671212094
Landmarks
Robert Macfarlane - 2015
Landmarks is about the power of language to shape our sense of place. It is a field guide to the literature of nature, and a glossary containing thousands of remarkable words used in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to describe land, nature and weather. Travelling from Cumbria to the Cairngorms, and exploring the landscapes of Roger Deakin, J. A. Baker, Nan Shepherd and others, Robert Macfarlane shows that language, well used, is a keen way of knowing landscape, and a vital means of coming to love it.
Our Marvelous Native Tongue
Robert Claiborne - 1983
Robert Claiborne then continues with the Anglo-Saxon invaders of England whose language developed into Old English, which in turn slowly developed into Middle English after the Norman Invasion. He also gives an overview of the various dialects of English and slang.
How Fiction Works
James Wood - 2008
M. Forster's Aspects of the Novel and Milan Kundera's The Art of the Novel, How Fiction Works is a scintillating study of the magic of fiction--an analysis of its main elements and a celebration of its lasting power. Here one of the most prominent and stylish critics of our time looks into the machinery of storytelling to ask some fundamental questions: What do we mean when we say we "know" a fictional character? What constitutes a telling detail? When is a metaphor successful? Is Realism realistic? Why do some literary conventions become dated while others stay fresh?James Wood ranges widely, from Homer to Make Way for Ducklings, from the Bible to John le Carré, and his book is both a study of the techniques of fiction-making and an alternative history of the novel. Playful and profound, How Fiction Works will be enlightening to writers, readers, and anyone else interested in what happens on the page.
Happiness Express
Khurshed Batliwala - 2018
Art of Living teachers Khurshed and Dinesh have spent the greaterpart of their lives being happy and coaching others to be happy. In Happiness Express they share the secrets behind their smiles.This warm and funny book, which abounds in personalanecdotes and practical tips for everyday well-being,will make Happiness a more integral part of your lifethan ever before. Learn about the importance of rest —keeping your eyes closed is one of the biggest secrets to a long-lasting smile. Figure out the right types of food to eat —a healthy gut oftentranslates into a happier you. Know how physical exercise not only gives you a stronger, healthier body, but even makes your brain younger. Unearth the thrill of learning all over again and give that innatecuriosity you had as a child a second chance. Get over procrastination , the Dark Lord of bad habits, and do thethings that you’ve always wanted to do!
How to Talk Minnesotan: Revised for the 21st Century
Howard Mohr - 2013
With his dry wit and distinctive voice, Howard Mohr won millions of fans across the country on Garrison Keillor’s radio show A Prairie Home Companion. His popular commercials and ad spots, including one for “Minnesota Language Systems,” became the best of the best of Minnesota humor. Now, Mohr has updated his classic guide, How to Talk Minnesotan, to advise visitors on the use of Twitter and Facebook, cell phone etiquette, and more while in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Signing Illustrated (Revised Edition): The Complete Learning Guide
Mickey Flodin - 2004
This easy-to-use guide is updated and expanded to include new computer and technology signs and offers a fast and simple approach to learning. Includes:- Vocabulary reviews- Fingerspelling exercises- Sign matching and memory aids- A complete glossary and a comprehensive index- Clear instructive drawings
The Franchise: Building a Winner with the World Champion Detroit Pistons, Basketball's Bad Boys
Cameron Stauth - 1990
He watched day by day, crisis by crisis, as McCloskey, coach Chuck Daly, and a handful of immensely talented and ambitious basketball players--the Bad Boys of Detroit--won the NBA championship. Illustrated.
Living with a Dead Language: My Romance with Latin
Ann Patty - 2016
She was soon bored, aimless, and lost in the woods. Hoping to challenge her restless, word-loving brain, and to find a new engagement with life, she began a serious study of Latin as an auditor at local colleges. In Living with a Dead Language, Patty weaves elements of her personal life into the confounding grammar and syntax of Latin as she chronicles not only the daily slog but also the deep pleasures of trying to master an inflected language. Courses in Roman history and epigraphy give her new insight into her tragic, long-deceased mother; Horace into the loss of a brilliant friend;, Lucretius into her tenacious drivenness and attraction to Buddhism. Catullus calls up her early days in 1970s New York while Ovid adds a delightful dimension to the flora and fauna that surround her. Finally, Virgil reconciles her to her new life—no longer an urban exile but a scholar, writer, and teacher. Along the way, she meets an intriguing, impassioned cast of characters: professors, students, and classicists outside of academia who become her new colleagues and who keep Latin very much alive. Written with humor, candor, and an infectious enthusiasm for words and grammar, Patty’s book is a celebration of how learning and literature can transform the past and lead to a new, unexpected future.
Politics and the English Language
George Orwell - 1946
The essay focuses on political language, which, according to Orwell, "is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind." Orwell believed that the language used was necessarily vague or meaningless because it was intended to hide the truth rather than express it.
Bukowski and the Beats: A Commentary on the Beat Generation. Followed by "An Evening at Buk's Place"
Jean-François Duval - 1998
Commentary. Interviews. Translated from the French by Alison Ardron. There are several reasons for this book. The principle one is pleasure--the pure joy of returning to Charles Bukowski and to the Beats, by dipping into their legend--particularly since the Beat movement is now enjoying a lively revival of attention through new editions, appearances of previously unpublished material, exhibitions, and other events. There is also the pleasure of rediscovering Charles Bukowski, cult author whose reputation continues to grow steadily all over the world. The full drama of his humor, of his angers, memories, frustrations, and distinctive grace come to life during Jean-Fran�ois Duval's long interview with Buk: An Evening at Buk's Place. The pleasure also consists of having a close look at the links and contradictions between Bukowski and the Beat constellation.
The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
Peter Gilliver - 2006
He later said that he had learned more in those two years than in any other equal part of his life. The Ring of Words reveals how his professional work on the Oxford English Dictionary influenced Tolkien's creative use of language in his fictional world. Here three senior editors of the OED offer an intriguing exploration of Tolkien's career as a lexicographer and illuminate his creativity as a word user and word creator. The centerpiece of the book is a wonderful collection of word studies which will delight the heart of Ring fans and word lovers everywhere. The editors look at the origin of such Tolkienesque words as hobbit, mithril, Smeagol, Ent, halfling, and worm (meaning dragon). Readers discover that a word such as mathom (anything a hobbit had no immediate use for, but was unwilling to throw away) was actually common in Old English, but that Mithril, on the other hand, is a complete invention (and the first Elven word to have an entry in the OED). And fans of Harry Potter will be surprised to find that Dumbledore (the name of Hogwart's headmaster) was a word used by Tolkien and many others (it is a dialect word meaning bumblebee). Few novelists have found so much of their creative inspiration in the shapes and histories of words. Presenting archival material not found anywhere else, The Ring of Words offers a fresh and unexplored angle on the literary achievements of one of the world's most famous and best-loved writers.
Shadow Boxing: The Dynamic 2-5-14 Strategy to Defeat the Darkness Within
Henry Malone - 1999
The Dynamic 2-5-14 Strategy to Defeat the Darkness Within"This book is for the tired, the defeated, the frustrated, and the ashamed. For the hurt and broken, those walking in powerlessness and fear. For all who have found truth but are failing miserably at living it. For those walking in bondage and limitations imposed by forces over which they seem to have no control. For those secretly wondering why their lives don't portray the overcoming reality God has purposed. For those to whom it seems a strong unseen hand holds them to a course they feel incapable of changing." (From Chaper 1)The 2-5-14 strategy gives answers to the 2 ways the enemy has access to your life, the 5 doors to legal ground that gives Satan his rights and the 14 spirits that are the roots of common human problems.