Shelf Control #283: The Adventure of English by Melvyn Bragg

Wednesday, the 19th of June 2024, and time for Shelf Control once again! Shelf Control is a weekly feature created by Lisa at Bookshelf Fantasies, and celebrates the books waiting to be read on your TBR piles/mountains. Since early January 2023, Shelf Control has moved base here to Literary Potpourri. To participate, all you do is pick a book from your TBR pile, and write a post about it–what it’s about, when/where you got it, why you want to read it and such. If you participate, don’t forget to share your links in the comments. I’ll check out your picks of course, and also add you to the list of participants in this post.

Today’s pick is a book which has been on my shelves for many years now–almost 10 and came to me via a friend. I had almost forgotten I had it but then thinking of another book recently that the same friend had sent, I was reminded of this. This is a book I’d actually started reading at the time I got it. But I had to leave off because of other commitments and then never ended up getting back to it.

The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language (2003) by Melvyn Bragg just as the title says is the journey of the English language from its beginnings to the global language it is today. From the days of the Anglo Saxons to its journey to and through various colonies (among them America, India, Africa and Australia), the various linguistic and cultural influences on it and much more.

Being so many years since I started it, I don’t really remember anything of what I read but the impression I was left with was of it being a rather interesting read but one that I’d preferably take my time over–dipping into different chapters at leisure rather than all at once. I also recently found that this was based on a television series the author originally wrote and presented, which might be worth looking up too.

So one that’s staying on the shelves and one I’d definitely like to get started on but with no specific completion date in mind.

Have you read this one? Did you like it? Any others of the kind that you found as or more interesting or indeed interesting of itself?

If you’re joining in with Shelf Control this week, do leave your links in the comments so I can add you to the participants’ list in this post.