Detailed and panoramic, this informal history of the AMERICAN language will teach you more about the language you really use every day than most scholarly books on American English. It is very well researched, but lively. I would not encourage it as a quick-read, but it is a must-read. While it is now over 20 years old, and contains a dated reference or observation or two, it is still very relevant in its main points. It's closing thoughts on immigration are prescient.