Currently reading and enjoying: Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z, by David Sacks. Each letter of the alphabet gets its own short chapter discussing that letter’s history and its evolution to its present-day written form and pronunciation. Interspersed with these are chapters that follow our alphabet’s transition from the Phoenicians, to the ancient Greeks, to the Etruscans, to the Romans, and so on. Really terrific.
The Tin Man
Sounds right up my alley, Jeff. My copy is now on its way. Thanks for the tip!
I enjoyed this book, too. Sacks ingeniously found a way to make each letter fit as an “episode” in the history of the alphabet.