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    The Wordspotter's Guide

    A Jaunt Through Our Etymological Past

    Author Olivia Swarthout
    Hardcover
    $30.00 US
    Penguin Adult HC/TR | Plume
    5-5/16"W x 8-1/2"H | 16 oz | 12 per carton
    On sale Nov 10, 2026 | 320 Pages | 9798217184811
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

    A rollicking, beautifully illustrated adventure through the history of the English language—from social media star Olivia Swarthout

    English is, by many measures, the largest language in the world—and doubtless the unruliest. Over the last millennium, we’ve borrowed, stolen, conquered, and invented our way to a massive lexicon (a million words by some counts), filled with numerous untold stories.

    Enter The Wordspotter’s Guide, a delightful tour through our etymological past. Did you know that the term silhouette comes from 18th century French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette, whose austerity measures caused his name to be associated with any low-quality work, such as the black paper cutouts that were a cheaper alternative to traditional portraits? That the word unfriend actually dates to the 17th century? Or that robe and robbed share an etymological root, dating to a time when constructing clothing was so labor-intensive that it was the most valuable thing in most people’s homes and thus likely to be stolen?

    Olivia Swarthout tells a deeply-researched, authoritative story about the history of the English language—without losing sight of the fun. If you’ve ever wondered which meaning of cardinal came first (the direction, then the Church figure, then the bird) or lamented that we no longer give people names like John the Wifeless, Ralph the Haunted, and Hugh the Ass (all citizens of 11th century Britain), this is the book for you.
    Praise for The Wordspotter's Guide:

    "Immensely readable, full of learning and very entertaining. Olivia Swarthout shows how words are a source of stories and of knowledge across time and across human society. With energy, humour and learning she demonstrates that words have inner lives, often surprising, wayward and ambiguous. This is an enjoyable and readable book that will teach readers something about the language we use every day." –Anthony Bale, author of A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages
    © Courtesy of Author
    OLIVIA SWARTHOUT is a chronicler of strange stories from our distant past, especially the Middle Ages. She is the author of Weird Medieval Guys. Her first name is derived from the Latin oliva, meaning olive, and her surname is of Middle Dutch origin, roughly corresponding to black forest. View titles by Olivia Swarthout

    About

    A rollicking, beautifully illustrated adventure through the history of the English language—from social media star Olivia Swarthout

    English is, by many measures, the largest language in the world—and doubtless the unruliest. Over the last millennium, we’ve borrowed, stolen, conquered, and invented our way to a massive lexicon (a million words by some counts), filled with numerous untold stories.

    Enter The Wordspotter’s Guide, a delightful tour through our etymological past. Did you know that the term silhouette comes from 18th century French finance minister Etienne de Silhouette, whose austerity measures caused his name to be associated with any low-quality work, such as the black paper cutouts that were a cheaper alternative to traditional portraits? That the word unfriend actually dates to the 17th century? Or that robe and robbed share an etymological root, dating to a time when constructing clothing was so labor-intensive that it was the most valuable thing in most people’s homes and thus likely to be stolen?

    Olivia Swarthout tells a deeply-researched, authoritative story about the history of the English language—without losing sight of the fun. If you’ve ever wondered which meaning of cardinal came first (the direction, then the Church figure, then the bird) or lamented that we no longer give people names like John the Wifeless, Ralph the Haunted, and Hugh the Ass (all citizens of 11th century Britain), this is the book for you.

    Praise

    Praise for The Wordspotter's Guide:

    "Immensely readable, full of learning and very entertaining. Olivia Swarthout shows how words are a source of stories and of knowledge across time and across human society. With energy, humour and learning she demonstrates that words have inner lives, often surprising, wayward and ambiguous. This is an enjoyable and readable book that will teach readers something about the language we use every day." –Anthony Bale, author of A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages

    Author

    © Courtesy of Author
    OLIVIA SWARTHOUT is a chronicler of strange stories from our distant past, especially the Middle Ages. She is the author of Weird Medieval Guys. Her first name is derived from the Latin oliva, meaning olive, and her surname is of Middle Dutch origin, roughly corresponding to black forest. View titles by Olivia Swarthout

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