or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime free trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn more
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
or
Get a £0.25 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card
Exaltation of Larks
 
See larger image
 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Exaltation of Larks [Paperback]

James Lipton
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
Price: £15.00 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.
Only 3 left in stock--order soon.
Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, May 30? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback £15.00  
Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Trade in Exaltation of Larks for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Plus, get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language £7.79

Exaltation of Larks + The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
Price For Both: £22.79

Show availability and delivery details



Product details

  • Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books Australia; Re-issue edition (30 Nov 1993)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140170960
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140170962
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.5 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 210,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Lipton
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Visit Amazon's James Lipton Page

Product Description

Synopsis

Gaggle of geese. A comedy of errors. A rash of dermatologists?! This classic collection of collective nouns includes more than 1100 equally pithy, and often poetic, terms.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Why do English speakers say, "A pack of dogs" when refering to a number of dogs together, but always refer to puppies as "a litter of puppies"? Is it the random quirkiness of our spoken language?

Would you believe such sayings have a tangible history, and have been planned?

This is the topic of James Lipton's sometimes humorous but always classic book, An Exaltation of Larks. If you've ever the privledge of watching the actor's studio, then you know of James Lipton--one of television's finest interviews and hosts.

In 1968, he wrote a book about the beauty and flexibility of the English language called an Exaltation of Larks. It is a study of the English-speaking tradition of coupling words to describe a set, where both words indicate the same thing, such as "a rope of pearls" and "a school of fish."

For the first part of the book, Mr. Lipton list the more common phrases and the research that has gone into finding out their meaning--where, for instance, "a pride of lions" originated and how long ago it was first used. (The oldest in the English langauge, apparently!)

Where the 1968 edition--which has never been out of print--had only had 118 pages and 175 terms, the Ultimate edition has 300 pages and 1,100 terms.

This would make a very fine gift for any Anglophile, artist, writer or comic. Witty, warm, and extremely observant, with clever line illustrations; a plus to any friend's library or your own.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is not an amusing story book, it is a facinating and infromative reference book providing (often) amusing insights into the workings of the mind. For a book comprising little more than a list of collective nouns, James Lipton has done sterling work in keeping the reader entertained. No classic comedy, but an instructive and thought provoking read. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in any aspect of the English language.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
exaltation of larks 27 Aug 2011
By palmer
Format:Paperback
Looking for this book allmost 10 years as replacement for one lost in my moving from one country to another. Thanks, Amazon, couldn't have done it without you.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges