in academic reviews, however, this is an amazingly good book.

The commentary on the selected texts in a brief compass has

a depth of insight nowhere else equalled in any other English

language work on this topic. This work is an excellent companion

to the differently conceived "German:A Linguistic History" by

C.J. Wells. The choice of texts covers a wide variety of themes

with such unusual subjects as cookery and the internet response

to September 11, 2001. The linguistic analysis serves well to

bridge the gap between undergraduate and graduate studies.