International Bestseller "Alex Bellos is a dazzling polymath whose cleverness and ingenuity are on full display in this utterly brilliant and original collection of linguistic puzzles. This book is destined to be a classic for puzzle lovers."-- Joshua Foer , cofounder of Atlas Obscura and author of Moonwalking with Einstein "Bellos' books are packed with games and riddles in different languages--both real and invented--which you don't necessarily have to speak in order to solve. There are so many word puzzles out there, and there's surely one for you." -- Popular Science " The Language Lover's Puzzle Book is exactly the sort of book I wish had been available to me as a budding linguist. I recommend it for all the language and puzzle fans in your life!" --Gretchen McCulloch, New York Times -bestselling author of Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language "Not just a puzzle collection, but an introduction to the science of distilling regularities from the weird ways in which languages behave . Many beginners, after the buzz of Mr. Bellos's puzzles, may also fall in love with the joys of [linguistics].
" --The Economist "I am a sucker for Alex Bellos's books--they're just such fun, full of unexpected ideas and charmingly written. If you like puzzles, this is a delightful and original approach, and you'll pick up a lot of quirky delights along the way." --Tim Harford, author of The Data Detective "Think you're a master codebreaker, expert linguist or a genius puzzler? Then it's time to prove your skills with these brain-teasers." --BBC Science Focus "An irresistible linguistic workout--challenging and deeply satisfying." --Gaston Dorren, author of Lingo: A Language Spotter's Guide to Europe "A cornucopia of ingenious and insightful challenges, each with a bonus commentary about the fascinating diversity of the world's languages, all presented in a friendly and engaging style. The title is exactly right. It's the perfect companion for anyone who loves puzzles and languages." --David Crystal, author of The Stories of English "If you love a puzzle--and you love language--you'll love what Alex Bellos has done here.
" --Gyles Brandreth, author of Dancing by the Light of the Moon "Language is a puzzle, so this compendium of language puzzles is a great idea; and the great thing about puzzles is they give us problems that we didn't even know were problems." --Michael Rosen, author of Alphabetical: How Every Letter Tells a Story "The only puzzle book I've seen that manages to befuddle both sides of the brain at the same time." --Dara Ó Briain, comedian and author of Secret Science "You can probably think of someone who needs a present for these 'Oh my god it's getting dark early and the world is full of germs' times. This is it!" --Lynne Murphy, professor of linguistics at the University of Sussex "Challenge the mind . with journalist and puzzle expert Alex Bellos, who has assembled all of our illuminating language challenges."-- Atlas Obscura.