Into the Words

An Etymologist's Field Guide to Plants, Animals, and Nature
Set out on a charming, entertaining, quirky, and utterly adventurous romp through the natural word. This latest book by word nerd, wildlife lover, and social media sensation Jess Zafarris hits the trail with an enthusiastically educational and curious look at the names of the creatures and features that make Planet Earth our home.

Which animal holds the record for having the most common names?

When and why did we stop calling giraffes "camel-leopards"?

Do mushrooms have anything to do with mush or rooms?

Why are dandelions named after lions' teeth?

How should you really pluralize "octopus"?


Find out how and why raccoons are named after their hands, squirrels after their tails and olives after their oil. Discover why "dog" is an etymological mystery and "bear" contains a hair-raising horror story.

Follow trails word history in the etymological excursion that is Into the Words. This book puts the fun in fungi, leaves language lovers contemplating forest for its trees, and reveals the wonderful stories hiding in our words for birds, beasts, insects, flowers, soil and everything in between.

Featuring both the origins of the names of different organisms, this book will captivate anyone who revels in both the glorious chaos and logic of the English language and the beauty and majesty of everything that lives on the planet Earth.

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.