In Praise of the Garrulous

"...there is so much here that is important ... and his humanity so winning and welcome, ..." "A deeply reflective, extraordinarily wide-ranging meditation on the nature of language, infused in its every phrase by a passionate humanism" - Terry Eagleton "I like In Praise of the Garrulous very much indeed, not only because it says a good many interesting and true things, but because of its tone and style. Its combination of personal passion, observation, stories, poetic bits and serious expert argument, expressed as it is in the prose of an intelligent conversation: all this is ideal for holding and persuading intelligent but non-expert readers. In my opinion he has done nothing better." - Eric Hobsbawm "This is a brilliant tour de force, in space and time, into the origins of language, speech and the word. From the past to the present you are left with strong doubts about the Idea of Progress and our superiority as a modern, indeed at times post-modern, society over the previous generations. Such a journey into the world of the word needs an articulate and eloquent guide: Allan Cameron is both and much more than that." - Ilan Pappe; "Weaving effortlessly from classical literature to the modern day, In Praise of the Garrulous takes language back from the domain of the pedants and reinstates our proudest achievement at the heart of human society." - Lesley Riddoch "In Praise of the Garrulous is a diverting, chewy read, its tone simultaneously chatty, professorial and even vatic. There are some interesting ideas" - The Sunday Herald