English is the collective work of millions of people throughout the ages. It is democratic ever-changing & ingenious in its assimilation of other cultures. English runs through the heart of world finance medicine & the Internet & it is understood by around two thousand million people across the world. Yet it was very nearly wiped out in its early years. In this book Melvyn Bragg shows us the remarkable story of the English language; from its beginnings as a minor guttural Germanic dialect to its position today as a truly established global language. The Adventure of English is not only an enthralling story of power religion & trade but also the story of people & how their day-to-day lives shaped & continue to change the extraordinary language that is English.