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Gift guide for lovers of food and language

You have the kids covered for Christmas, but what about the adults?!

‘Tis the season for gift guides, so we have selected a variety of titles to help you buy for all of the foodies, history buffs, language lovers and word nerds in your life. Books make the best gifts so take advantage of our special offer for Christmas below.

Oxford Companion to Food, foodies, quizThe Oxford Companion to Food
An international bestseller this Companion combines an exhaustive catalogue of foods, be they biscuits named after battles, divas or revolutionaries; body parts (from nose to tail, toe to cerebellum); or breads from the steppes of Asia or the well-built ovens of the Mediterranean; with a richly allusive commentary on the culture of food, expressed in literature and cookery books, or as dishes peculiar to a country or community.

LAU_FURPHIES_CoverFurphies and Whizz-bangs: Anzac Slang from the Great War
This book tells the story of the First World War through an examination of the slang used by Australian soldiers. Drawing on a range of primary source material taken from soldiers’ letters, diaries and trench publications, along with contemporary newspapers and books, the language of the Australian soldiers is brought to life. It tells us of the everyday grumblings of the soldiers, the horrors of the battlefield, and the humour they used as they tried to endure the war.

9780199668700Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
This dictionary is a vast treasury of wit and wisdom spanning the centuries and providing the ultimate answer to the question, ‘Who said that?’ Find that half-remembered line in a browser’s paradise of over 20,000 quotations, comprehensively indexed for ready reference. Lord Byron may have taken the view: ‘I think it great affectation not to quote oneself’, but for the less self-centred the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations provides a quote for every occasion from the greatest minds of history and from undistinguished characters known only for one happy line.

9780198718659Once Upon a Time: A Short History of Fairy Tale
Marina Warner explores a multitude of fairy tales through the ages and their different manifestations on the page, the stage, and the screen. From the phenomenal rise of Victorian and Edwardian literature to contemporary children’s stories, Warner unfolds a glittering array of examples, from classics such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty, the Grimm Brothers’ Hansel and Gretel, and Hans Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, to modern-day realisations including Walt Disney’s Snow White and gothic interpretations such as Pan’s Labyrinth.

9780199680474Words in Time and Place: Exploring Language Through the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary
Did you know that the English language has over 150 words for the adjective ‘drunk’ developed over 1,000 years? Be prepared to learn words you have never heard before, find out fascinating facts behind everyday words, and be surprised at how lively and varied the English language can be. Written by the world’s leading expert on the English language, David Crystal, the book carries his trademark style of engaging yet authoritative writing.

9780199683635Little Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins
Did you know that coconut derives from the Spanish and Portuguese coco for ‘grinning face’? Or that giraffes used to be called camelopards? Or that walrus has its origin in Dutch, meaning ‘whale horse’. The Little Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins includes 1,000 word histories arranged across 100 wide-ranging themes, from food to phobias, from the universe to love. Featuring words with interesting or surprising origins, it is an irresistible collection of word histories, including dates of origin and an authoritative account of each word’s derivation.

Special offer for Christmas:
20% off and free delivery*
Discount code: xmas20
To take advantage of this special offer, visit the Oxford University Press website and enter the discount code xmas20 at the checkout.

 

*Online offer only available to Australian customers. New Zealand customers free call 0800 442 502 or email [email protected] to receive the same discount on the NZ price. Offer only on selected titles above. The discount cannot be combined with any other offers. Offer expires 31st December 2014.

One response to “Gift guide for lovers of food and language”

  1. Heather Avatar

    “for all the foodies, history buffs, language lovers and word nerds in your life”. Basically me described in one sentence!

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