The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English

The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English by Hana Videen

An entertaining collection of strange, delightful and unexpectedly apt words from the origins of English, which illuminates the lives, beliefs and habits of our linguistic ancestors.

In this beautiful little book, Hana Videen has gathered gems of words together to create a glorious trove and illuminate the lives, beliefs and habits of our linguistic ancestors. We discover a world where choking on a bit of bread might prove your guilt, where fiend-ship was as likely as friend-ship, and you might grow up to be a laughter-smith. These are the magical roots of our own language: you'll never see English in the same way again.

'A marvelous book' - Neil Gaiman

'Wonderful' - Tom Holland

'A lovely, lovely read' - Lucy Mangan

'Splendid' - David Crystal

'Thorough, entertaining, and absolutely fascinating.' Paul Anthony Jones, Haggard Hawks

The Wordhord: Daily Life in Old English - About the Author

Hana Videen has been hoarding Old English words since 2013, when she began tweeting one a day. Now more than 20,000 people follow these gems from her wordhord (@OEWordhord). A writer and blogger, she holds a PhD in English from King's College London and lives in Toronto.