Members & Founders' Circle event: Hidden Connections of the English Language (In person)
Hear from two of Britain’s most eminent wordsmiths, Library member and etymologist Mark Forsyth and lexicographer Susie Dent, in a lively and illuminating exploration of the secret pathways of the English language.
From surprising word origins to the quirks, coincidences and curious evolutions that shape our daily speech, this engaging conversation uncovers the hidden threads that link our language across time.
Join us for an insightful evening full of wit and discovery.
The talk will be preceded by a drinks reception in The Reading Room.
This is event is for Founders' Circle Patrons and Library Members. It is free for Founders' Circle Patrons and £5 each for Members and their guests. Booking is essential. If you are a Founders’ Circle Patron, please register for this event by RSVPing directly to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Susie Dent MBE is a writer and broadcaster on language. She recently celebrated 25 years as the resident word expert on C4's Countdown and also appears on the show's comedy sister 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown. She has written for the Independent on Sunday, the Telegraph and the Times and is the author of several books, including Dent's Modern Tribes, Word Perfect and Words for Life. She is a spokesperson for Oxford University Press and has been a judge on the Costa Book Awards and on the Academy Excellence Awards.
Mark Forsyth is a blogger and author who was given a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary as a christening present and has never looked back. In 2009 he started the Inky Fool blog in order to share his heaps of useless information with a verbose world. His books have made him one of the UK’s best-known commentators on words. They include the Sunday Times number one bestseller, The Etymologicon, The Horologicon and The Elements of Eloquence.
Books by both authors will be available to buy at the event and online from our partner bookshop Hatchards.
This event will take place in person at The London Library. Doors and drinks are at 6.30pm and the talk will begin at 7pm. Please see our Event Access Guidelines before you arrive.
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