bookshelf

THE STORY OF BE

Name: THE STORY OF BE
Author: David Crystal
ISBN: 978-0-19-879109-6

A VERB'S-EYE VIEW OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

by David Crystal ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2017

Language lessons from a master delivered masterfully: Crystal-clear.

bookshelf

The author of numerous works about the history and uses of English returns with a brief, illuminating disquisition on the history and varied tasks of the verb “to be.”

That little buzzing verb is a word we employ in myriads of ways for myriads of reasons, from the “existential” to the “ludic”—and more. In this concise and clear account, Crystal (Making Sense: The Glamorous Story of English Grammar, 2017, etc.) fashions an unusual chapter organization: a description of the usage, many historical examples (Shakespeare and the Bible are prominent), some cartoons from Punch (and some created especially for this volume by cartoonist Ed McLachlan), and an occasional panel (Crystal’s term) that focuses on a related topic—e.g., the imperative form. The author’s cadre of readers will know that he is no prescriptivist. In his section on the expression “woe is me,” he emits a tiny snarl at the prescriptive approach, noting the insistence of some on “woe is I.” Nor does Crystal tear his hair or claw his face when dealing with slang and the language of texting (“textese,” he calls it). As a descriptivist, the author recognizes that railing against usage is generally pointless—grammar and usage move on (ain’t was once “correct,” he notes)—and reminds us that earlier “telegraph” generations dealt with “telegramese.” He also traces the history of each usage—many go back to Anglo-Saxon—and shows how time has, or has not, altered it. His examples range wide and include Hamlet, popular song, newspaper headlines, and novels by Dickens and Thackeray. He does not neglect former President Bill Clinton’s comment, during his sex-scandal testimony, about how “it depends on what the meaning of the word is is.” And so it does.

Language lessons from a master delivered masterfully: Crystal-clear.

Pub Date: June 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-19-879109-6

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Oxford Univ.

Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
MAKING SENSE
by David Crystal

- BOOK REVIEW
SPELL IT OUT
by David Crystal

- BOOK REVIEW
THE STORY OF ENGLISH IN 100 WORDS
by David Crystal

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.