"Words aren’t a condiment you sprinkle on top of reality; they are the marinade that alters the taste of everything"

David Shariatmadari is the Guardian's non-fiction books editor and author of Don't Believe A Word: The Surprising Truth About Language.

His debut book Don't Believe a Word explored the fallacies and folklore that led us to misunderstand language.

'Wonderful. You finish the book more alive than ever to the enduring mystery and miracle of that thing that makes us most human' - Stephen Fry on Don't Believe a Word