Simon Horobin is Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. He has written extensively on the history, structure, and uses of the English language. He is the author of Does Spelling Matter? (OUP, 2013) and a number of books on the history of English, and the language of Chaucer.

"A happy mixture of scholarship, clear writing, and humor." --Kirkus Reviews

"In this concise narrative of the history of the English language, Horobin analyzes historical context just enough to unfurl the object called 'English.'" --Library Journal, starred review

"... if you are serious about understanding the English language as it is, you should have this book in your hands and on your shelf." --The Baltimore Sun

"Any word lover or professional language manipulator will find something surprising and worthwhile in this book." --Copyediting.com

"In How English Became English, Simon Horobin examines both the history of this now global language as well as modern usage and controversies in a brief, layman's overview... [Horobin's] arguments are brilliantly presented... an interesting profile of the English language from many different angles." --Columbia Metropolitan