Words Words Words

So, you like words? How much? This book is all about words. It's small, and the chapters are small, so it's more readable than you would think. But the author, David Crystal, is a top-flight linguist--and a Brit, hence the OBE and the UK-slant that creeps in--and he knows how to use words to discuss words.

Here you will find information on practically every word-related topic: origins, diversity, evolution, and enjoyment. The last section, Becoming a Word Detective, shows you how to find out the history of a word and the meaning of names, how to get involved with dictionaries and dialects, how to estimate the size of your vocabulary and keep a record of your child's words, and how to find out more about words, in case this wasn't enough.

Perhaps it is. It's pretty comprehensive, although short. And I like short.