 | Textbook of Historical Linguistics by R.L. Trask
Buy used from: £7.30 A really superb introduction to my favourite subject - never a dull moment!
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 | The Antipope (Brentford Trilogy) by Robert Rankin
Buy new: £5.46 / Used from: £0.01 Rankin is the grand master of the tall tale told in the Irish fashion. Enjoy the blarney.
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 | Le Ton Beau De Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language by Douglas R. Hofstadter
Buy used from: £19.06 How I got completely hooked on poetry translation. Hofstadter at his thought-provoking best.
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 | The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene
Buy used from: £1.92 Brian Greene does a brilliant job of explaining complicated physics in simple terms. A pleasure to read.
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 | Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
Buy new: £5.45 / Used from: £0.74 The first Jasper Fforde book I read, and by no means the last. This is sheer hilarious inspired lunacy.
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 | A Reference Grammar of Medieval Italian, According to Dante, with a Dual Edition of the "Vita Nova" (Studies in Italian Literature) by Joseph F. Privitera
Buy new: £59.95 / Used from: £181.68 Although the translation of Dante's "Vita Nova" is flawed, this is still an extremely useful reference work on mediaeval Italian.
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 | Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky
Buy new: £7.11 / Used from: £5.27 A stress-free introduction to the science of stress, worth reading and re-reading.
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 | The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Buy used from: £50.00 The original BBC radio series that had me spellbound in my late teens. Much truer to the book than the films are.
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 | A Tour of the Calculus by David Berlinski
Buy used from: £0.01 A book I read again and again for the lyricism and whimsicality of its language. Odd for a maths textbook, but there you go!
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 | Dravidian Studies: Selected Papers (MLBD series in linguistics) by M.B. Emeneau
Buy new: £35.63 / Used from: £26.11 This is heavy going, but a wonderfully substantial and fascinating reference book on the Dravidian languages.
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 | Set Your Voice Free: How to Get the Singing or Speaking Voice You Want by R. Love
Buy new: £7.43 / Used from: £5.29 I can now cover three octaves as a direct result of this book. A must for any singer, serious or recreational.
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 | Reaper Man: A Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett
Buy new: £4.79 / Used from: £0.01 Anything by Terry Pratchett is worth reading. This one is my all-time favourite. You won't be disappointed.
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| Newton's Clock: Chaos in the Solar System by Ivars Peterson
Buy used from: £5.00 Chaos, cosmology, and the elegant prose of Ivars Peterson - just the thing to read on a long commute. Plenty of food for thought here.
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 | Words And Rules: The Ingredients of Language (Science Masters) by Steven Pinker
Buy new: £5.46 / Used from: £1.19 Steven Pinker has written a book on English irregular verbs and made it riveting; enough said!
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 | The Pickwick Papers (Everyman's Library classics) by Charles Dickens
Buy new: £8.44 / Used from: £5.45 It rambles all round the houses, but it is still enchanting, funny and in places very touching. My favourite Dickens, and a true classic.
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