Why Q Needs U

A history of our letters and how we use them
A twenty-six-chapter journey through the history and working of the English alphabet by linguistic guru Danny Bate.

'A breathtaking adventure through the alphabet. An absolutely delightful read, filled with jewels of lightly worn scholarship and dazzling insight. I just couldn't recommend it more highly.' Stephen Fry

'An excellent read.' Susie Dent

'You'll never look at a keyboard the same way after reading Danny Bate's fascinating linguistic history.' Sunday Times

Why does 'W' sounds like 'double U'?
What has the letter 'Q' got to do with monkeys?
Why are the 'C's in circus pronounced differently?
What's the point of the second 'N' in the author's first name, 'Danny'?
And why does 'Q' need to be followed by 'U'?

Every letter you're reading right now has a fascinating story to tell, having been on a long linguistic, historical, political and social journey.

In Why Q Needs U, linguistic expert Danny Bate takes readers on a fascinating odyssey through the English alphabet, diving into history, archaeology, politics and linguistics to discover where we get our writing from. Sharing fun facts and revealing the alphabet's hidden mechanisms, he explains where we get our letters from and why the English language uses them so strangely.

Explaining - and defending - the peculiar way English today uses our ancient letters, Bate's witty and entertaining book will help readers spot connections in languages across the world and inspire a newfound sense of wonder for the letters we use every day.

'Charming' The Economist

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.