I dedicate this book to all the members of my family... past, present, and still to come.
First words
I have lived my life in the service of words: finding where they hide in the convoluted recesses of the brain, studying their layers of meaning and form, and teaching their secrets to the young.
Quotations
"Words and music are the tracks of human evolution." —John S. Dunne
"Knowing how something originated often is the best clue to how it works." —Terrence Deacon
Last words
A book about how our species learned to leap beyond the text shouldn't have a last sentence. Gentle readers, it is all yours...
