The King’s English - Tapa dura

Sir Kingsley Amis, who died in 1995, occupied a unique position in the world of English letters. As well as being one of the most successful and influential writers since the war, having published more than twenty novels, he was a poet, critic and prolific anthologiser. In all his work, and throughout his life, the use and abuse of the English language was one of his principal concerns. Now at last we have a book which will, entertainingly, authoritatively and concisely, convey his love and knowledge of the subject to new generations of readers and writers.

Here can be found all those linguistic pitfalls ('crescendo', 'enormity', 'disinterested') which lie in wait for the ignorant or the careless. And if you've ever wondered whether it's acceptable to start a sentence with 'and', or what you risk revealing about yourself by your pronunciation of 'liqueur', or whether or not to cross your sevens in the French style, Amis has the answer.

Arranged alphabetically, by turns reflective, acerbic, combative and controversial, 'The King's English' will find a place on the shelves of anyone who cares about the English language and the way in which it is used.

"Amis is one of the few truly great prose stylists to have appeared in England since the Second World War."
HARRY RITCHIE, 'The Guardian'

"Amis's love of limpid and correct English shows itself in everything he wrote... like Evelyn Waugh, he constrained and controlled a natural anarchism by respect for the rules of correct expression. This made his comedy all the more exuberant, and gave his satire its unforgettable accuracy."
JOHN CASEY, 'Evening Standard'

"He remained throughout his writing life a brilliant practitioner of English prose."
PAUL GRAY, 'Time'