Tag Archives: The Truth About English

The Truth About English ebook

Do you see the difference?

Yeah, I adjusted the kerning a little. But the real difference is one you can’t actually see from the image: The Truth About English is now available as an ebook.

Yes, that’s why I’ve been quiet for two weeks. It takes forever to make an ebook. (That’s not true. I was travelling and attending a conference. Making the ebook from the InDesign files was pretty quick and easy, really, but I didn’t have the opportunity until today.)

Currently it’s available on Lulu.com, https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-harbeck/the-truth-about-english/ebook/product-nvw6vv5.html?q=Harbeck&page=1&pageSize=4. Lulu will soon be syndicating it to the other popular ebook providers, and because of how that syndication works, and the commissions taken, the price is a little higher than I would otherwise have made it (but still much less than the print version). (But if you buy it directly from Lulu, I get more money than if you buy it from the other providers, and don’t you want me to get paid for my efforts?)

However, I have also, separately from Lulu, made it available on the Apple Books store, https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-truth-about-english/id6505080776. And the price there is a little lower, because there’s no intermediary. So if you (like me) get your ebooks from Apple, you’re in luck.

The Truth About English

Most of what you were taught about language in school is wrong, and what’s right mostly isn’t right for the reasons you thought.

I’ve been giving presentations about the deeper details of this fact for nearly two decades. Up to now, you had to either be there in the room when I gave the presentation, or watch the video of it on my blog, or in just a couple of cases read the text of it on my blog. Now I’ve brought together eight of my best presentations about the English language’s history, grammar, and more, revised and in a format suitable for consuming at leisure in the environment of your choice. Presenting my new book, The Truth About English: Lessons You Never Got in School. It includes:

  1. A Language in Motion
  2. When Does Wrong Become Right?
  3. When to Use Bad English
  4. Smash All teh Rulez
  5. What Flavour of English Do You Want?
  6. Sounding Like the “Right Sort”
  7. The Secret Set of Extra-Tasty Words
  8. A Hidden Gender?

It’s available now on Lulu.com: https://www.lulu.com/shop/james-harbeck/the-truth-about-english/paperback/product-57ggk44.html?page=1&pageSize=4

It will also be available soon on Amazon.com. However, Amazon takes a big cut of the price. In fact, I could set the price lower if it weren’t on Amazon, but I can’t have a lower price on Lulu than on Amazon (alas), and it’s worth it for visibility to have it on Amazon. But I will have copies for sale in person at a discount if you happen to see me at a conference or similar event… along with copies of my other books such as 12 Gifts for Writers.