The best book of its kind available in English, an almost faultless popularization of a permanently fascinating subject. There is hardly any subdivision of his enormous field that Dr. Pei does not expose with charm, clarity, and non dogmatic good humor… it is difficult to imagine anyone who will not find something of interest in this book. It sharpens one’s sense of one’s own control over language; and it is full of fresh and often surprising information about the words we use. Enjoyable merely to browse through, it also valuable as a work of reference.