本书是多和田叶子基于旅居德国时的所闻所见所撰写的随笔集，是其“自我观察日记”系列的一部分。她从日常生活遭遇的微妙的违和感展开，以幽默风趣的文笔，深入浅出地探讨了深藏在语言差异背后的德国文化和日本文化之间不可调和的断裂处。

In an age unhealthily obsessed with substance, this is a book on the importance of pure style. From classic poetry to pop lyrics and from the King James Bible to advertising slogans, Mark Forsyth explains the secrets that make a phrase - such as 'Tiger, Tiger, burning bright', or 'To be or not to be' - memorable. In his inimitably entertaining and witty style he takes apart famous lines and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare or Oscar Wilde. Whether you're aiming for literary immortality or just an unforgettable one-liner, The Elements of Eloquence proves that you don't need to have anything to say - you simply need to say it well.

The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. It's an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.