{"title":"Books by Simon Horobin","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780198832270","title":"Bagels, Bumf, and Buses","description":"Where do our everyday words come from? The bagel you eat for breakfast, the bumf you have to wade through at the office, and the bus that takes you home again: we use these words without thinking about their origins or how their meanings have changed over time. Simon Horobin takes the reader on a journey through a typical day, showing how the words we use to describe routine activities - getting up, going to work, eating meals - have surprisingly fascinating histories.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56226450801013,"sku":"9780198832270","price":21.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780198832270_a0dc258d-0955-4283-82fb-ab94a518b6d1.jpg?v=1786012935"},{"product_id":"9780198709251","title":"The English Language","description":"The English language is spoken by more than a billion people throughout the world. But where did English come from? And how has it evolved into the language used today?In this Very Short Introduction Simon Horobin investigates how we have arrived at the English we know today, and celebrates the way new speakers and new uses mean that it continues to adapt. Engaging with contemporary concerns about correctness, Horobin considers whether such changes are improvements, or evidence of slipping standards. What is the future for the English language? Will Standard English continue to hold sway, or we are witnessing its replacement by newly emerging Englishes?ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56226462794101,"sku":"9780198709251","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780198709251_12e33c52-ab67-460d-9dd0-8b0a08a6528f.jpg?v=1786012132"},{"product_id":"9780748614813","title":"An Introduction to Middle English","description":"An Introduction to Middle English is designed to provide undergraduate students of English historical linguistics with a concise description of the language during the period 1100-1500. Middle English, the language of Chaucer, is discussed in relation to both earlier and later stages in the history of English, and in relation to other languages with which it came into contact. Features:* the historical and geographical contexts of Middle English* the evidence for Middle English* the principal features of Middle English spelling, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary* an introduction to Middle English textual studies* selected Middle English texts, both literary and non-literary* notes, glossaries and annotated bibliographies* questions for reviewMost other introductory books on Middle English focus on literary rather than linguistic matters; this book is designed to redress the balance, by providing students of English language with an up-to-date, authoritative survey which takes account of recent trends in historical linguistics.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298657382773,"sku":"9780748614813","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780748614813_10fddc12-cef8-4df7-ba85-cc4a79631e6b.jpg?v=1786033097"},{"product_id":"9781399500234","title":"A History of English Spelling","description":"\u003cp\u003ePopularly viewed as eccentric and illogical, dismissed by linguists as fixed and therefore uninteresting, English spelling is the Cinderella of modern linguistics. But it is a complex and fascinating subject. With a rich history of variation, English spelling has much to offer diachronic sociolinguists, while study of its history helps to explain many of today’s apparent irregularities. The story of its standardisation, beginning with the advent of the printing press, and the destandardisation currently being witnessed on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, offers new perspectives on how technology drives linguistic change, and reveals fascinating insights into the ways in which variable spelling is being repurposed today.\u003cbr\u003eWith plenty of exercises, worked examples throughout and a concluding chapter on how to create your own research project, Simon Horobin encourages you to delve into the rich and varied landscape of English spelling.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298706239861,"sku":"9781399500234","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399500234_de90d14e-a540-4fd6-bb80-3d7600747eb1.jpg?v=1786019516"},{"product_id":"9781851245642","title":"C.S. Lewis′s Oxford","description":"The fantastical fictional land of Narnia, famously reached via a magical wardrobe, has many connections to the world in which its creator C.S. Lewis lived. The influence of Oxford can be seen not only in medieval buildings and towers but also in the literature which Lewis encountered there, through a lifetime’s reading and teaching of classical, medieval and renaissance literature.     This book examines the role Oxford, its colleges, libraries, chapels, clubs, common rooms and pubs, played in fostering the work of one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers and thinkers. It brings to light a number of new archival discoveries, including letters, tutorial reports and even an unpublished poem, as well as offering new insights into Lewis’s Oxford life, his transition to Cambridge, his Christian faith and his global influence today. It also takes a fresh look at his extensive involvement in Oxford’s various clubs and societies, including the Coalbiters, the Socratic Club and, of course, the Inklings, whose distinguished members coalesced around him and his great friend, J.R.R. Tolkien.     Written by an expert in medieval literature who teaches at Magdalen College, where Lewis himself taught, this book, illustrated with letters, manuscripts and Oxford landmarks, helps us understand the author of the Narnia stories and of The Screwtape Letters as a student, scholar and teacher in greater depth.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313084936565,"sku":"9781851245642","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781851245642_b0ebddde-705e-4e81-a108-89887d30c4e6.jpg?v=1786029387"},{"product_id":"9781350473782","title":"Chaucer's Language","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAssuming no previous linguistic knowledge or familiarity with Middle English, Simon Horobin introduces students to Chaucer's language and the importance of reading Chaucer in the original, rather than in a modern translation.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eChaucer's Language\u003c\/i\u003e leads the reader gently through basic linguistic concepts with appropriate explanation, highlighting how Chaucer's English differs from present-day English, and the significance of this for interpreting and understanding his work. It provides close analysis and comparison with the writings of Chaucer's contemporaries to show how Chaucer drew on the variety of Middle English to achieve particular poetic effects. Annotated texts, an extensive glossary of linguistic terms, common Middle English words and 'false friends', a bibliography and suggestions for further reading all support students and aid study.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This 3rd edition has been fully revised throughout and includes:\u003cbr\u003e- a new chapter on using digital images to study Chaucer’s texts \u003cbr\u003e- references to a greater range of recent editions and translations\u003cbr\u003e- updated examples and insights from the most recent scholarship on rhetoric, punning, word studies, Middle English dialectology and new approaches to the history of standardisation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Authoritative and easy to follow, this is an indispensable guide to understanding, appreciating and enjoying the language of Chaucer.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56367982444917,"sku":"9781350473782","price":28.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781350473782_a8f07663-f482-4ef7-b4d6-b3ca2730a4e0.jpg?v=1786018274"},{"product_id":"9781786226891","title":"Wardrobes and Rings","description":"\u003cp\u003eJourney through Lent with the insight and imagination of the Oxford Inklings - a group of writers who reshaped Christian thought and storytelling in the twentieth century. Drawing on the work of some of the Inklings' most well-known members, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, as well as friends of the Inklings such as Dorothy Sayers and T.S. Eliot, Wardrobes and Rings explores through their eyes a faith which is tinged with seriousness, creativity and joy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis devotional draws on their writings - fiction, poetry, and essays - offering daily readings and reflections that illuminate the path to the cross and resurrection. Weekly themes such as temptation, time, nature and creativity guide the way.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten by Julia Golding, Malcolm Guite and Simon Horobin: a novelist, a poet-priest, and an Oxford professor all deeply immersed in the Inklings' world and wisdom, Wardrobes and Rings invites you to rediscover Lent through the lens of imagination-infused faith.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368147136885,"sku":"9781786226891","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781786226891_7d265a2a-e79b-4022-8d68-95d7123218e6.jpg?v=1786026169"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-simon-horobin.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}