Globish: How the English Language Became the World's Language »

Robert McCrum, now literary editor of London's Observer, was the editor-in-chief of the publishing firm Faber & Faber in London for nearly 20 years. The author of six highly acclaimed novels and coauthor of the bestselling The Story of English, his latest work is an illuminating look at the life of one of his literary heroes, P. G. Wodehouse.

How English conquered the world: a Guns, Germs, and Steel argument based on the power of the word.

The New York Times - Dwight Garner

…smart but casual, more gastropub than white-linen dining; the author seems to have written it with his left hand. It revisits material from The Story of English (1986), which Mr. McCrum wrote with William Cran and Robert MacNeil. Some of this new book is likely to seem dated before too long, but part of the point of Globish is that English mutates and spreads as quickly as those zombies in the movie "28 Days Later" sprint down a freeway.

Prologue: áCrazy English' 3

PART ONE FOUNDERS

1 In the Beginning: Four Invasions and a Cultural Revolution 23

2 Defeat into Victory: The DNA of Self-Expression 41

3 áLighte Englisshe': Medieval Mass Communications 61

4 Eating Paper, Drinking Ink: Shakespeare & Co. 74

PART TWO PIONEERS

5 áA Whole Country of English': Re-inventing Freedom and Originality 93

6 áCommon Hopes and Common Dreams': Lighting Out for the Territory 111

7 áThe Audacity of Hope': From Slavery to Redemption 125

PART THREE POPULARISERS

8 Rule, Britannial: How England Became Britrish 147

9 East, in a Western Voice: The People's Empire 171

10 áAt the Top of the World': The Imperial Swan Song 188

PART FOUR MODERNISERS

11 áA Willingness of the Heart': The American Century I 201

12 áThe Unity of the English-Speaking Peoples': The American Century II 211

13 áThe World At Your Fingertips': From Google to Globish, 1989-2009 226

PART FIVE GLOBALISERS

14 One World, One Dream: áConquer English to Make China Strong' 249

15 áVirtually Running America': India, the Far East and Beyond 260

Epilogue: áA Thoroughfare for All Thoughts' 275

Notes 289

Select Bibliography 309

Acknowledgements 313

Index 315