I absolutely adore Claire Cock-Starkey's books so I am thrilled to take part in the blog tour for her latest book: The Real McCoy. I have a fascinating extract to share with you as I close the tour and you can also read my review of this brilliant book.
The extract I have for you is 'guillotine' and I'm sure you will find the story as riveting as I did, especially as not everyone is delighted to have their name attached to something for eternity.
The English language is rich with eponyms - words that are named after an individual - some better known than others.
This book features 150 of the most interesting and enlightening specimens, delving into the origins of the words and describing the fascinating people after whom they were named. Eponyms are derived from numerous sources. Some are named in honour of a style icon, inventor or explorer, such as pompadour, Kalashnikov and Cadillac. Others have their roots in Greek or Roman mythology, such as panic and tantalise. A number of eponyms, however, are far from celebratory and were created to indicate a rather less positive association - into this category can be filed boycott, Molotov cocktail and sadist.
Encompassing eponyms from medicine, botany, invention, science, fashion, food and literature, this book uncovers the intriguing tales of discovery, mythology, innovation and infamy behind the eponyms we use every day.
The perfect addition to any wordsmith's bookshelf.
The English language is rich with eponyms - words that are named after an individual - some better known than others.
This book features 150 of the most interesting and enlightening specimens, delving into the origins of the words and describing the fascinating people after whom they were named. Eponyms are derived from numerous sources. Some are named in honour of a style icon, inventor or explorer, such as pompadour, Kalashnikov and Cadillac. Others have their roots in Greek or Roman mythology, such as panic and tantalise. A number of eponyms, however, are far from celebratory and were created to indicate a rather less positive association - into this category can be filed boycott, Molotov cocktail and sadist.
Encompassing eponyms from medicine, botany, invention, science, fashion, food and literature, this book uncovers the intriguing tales of discovery, mythology, innovation and infamy behind the eponyms we use every day.
The perfect addition to any wordsmith's bookshelf.
What did I think?
Oh my word, The Real McCoy is such a fascinating book. If you haven't come across Claire Cock-Starkey's riveting little books then you really are missing out on a treat. I recommend every single one of them; see my reviews of The Book Lovers' Miscellany and A Library Miscellany.
Have you ever wondered about the origin of some of the everyday words in our English language? Claire Cock-Starkey has gathered together some of the most amazing stories behind some well-known words in this collection of 150 eponyms. An eponym is a person after whom something is named and some obviously have a person's name in their title, such as Earl Grey tea, Bunsen burner and Alzheimer's disease but my eyes opened in surprise and delight as I read about the less obvious eponyms; such everyday words as cereal, hygiene and biro.
This is a book to read from cover to cover then to revisit by dipping in and out of in order to regale your family and friends with your favourite linguistic stories. There are some familiar stories like wellington, cardigan and sandwich but, even though I already knew their origin, they are told in such a perfectly concise way as to jog your memory and help to digest the facts. It's a book that you won't be able to help yourself sharing with others as I found myself reading some of the stories out loud to my family. That really is the mark of a good book when you feel the need to share it with others.
I absolutely adored The Real McCoy; it's fascinating, informative and the perfect gift for that awkward to buy for book lover in your life.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
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