Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States - Softcover

Bryson, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 068810312X ISBN 13: 9780688103125

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 1995

Synopsis

The author of Mother Tongue offers an affectionate and informative look at the origins of American English, including why strippers' apparel is called a G-string and what--or who--is the real McCoy. 75,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo. Tour.

About this title

Review:

Bill Bryson's "Informal History of the English Language in the United States" is, in a word, fascinating. After reading this tour de force, it's clear that a nation's language speaks volumes about its true character: you are what you speak. Bryson traces America's history through the language of the time, then goes on to discuss words culled from everyday activities: immigration, eating, shopping, advertising, going to the movies, and others.

Made in America will supply you with interesting facts and cocktail chatter for a year or more. Did you know, for example, that Teddy Roosevelt's "speak softly and carry a big stick" credo has its roots in a West African proverb? Or that actor Walter Matthau's given name is Walter Mattaschanskayasky? Or that the supposedly frigid Puritans--who called themselves "Saints," by the way--had something called a pre-contract, which was a license for premarital sex? Made in America is an excellent discussion of American English, but what makes the book such a treasure is that it offers much, much more.

Review:

'A tremendously sassy work, full of zip, pizzazz and all those other great American qualities.' (The Independent on Sunday)

'Immensely entertaining ... a sharp eye for odd facts and amusing anecdotes.' (The Daily Telegraph)

'The book is a triumph. Bryson carries it off by his joie de vivre, his unadorned prose and the sheer width of his snooping beneath the skin of the American dream.' (Literary Review)

'Funny, wise, learned and compulsive.' (GQ)

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 068810312X
• ISBN 13: 9780688103125
• Binding: Paperback