David Crystal has a new book out next month – Spell It Out: The Singular Story of English Spelling – on one of my favourite topics.

Here’s a taster from the Guardian – a fascinating breakneck tour through the history of the development of English spelling.

One sentence particularly stood out: “Spellings are made by people.” It’s a sentiment worth remembering. While the argument for standardised spelling is strong, who’s to say when ‘rubarb’ becomes the more correct spelling than ‘rhubarb’?

Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash