‘The fascinating story of the ancient words that survive in the mouths of billions of speakers today … combining linguistics, archaeology and genetic research to trace the movement of people and their language.’

Henry Oliver, The Guardian

‘Thought-provoking … A lively and fascinating account of how these languages split from their root, developed in different ways, mingled with each other, crossed tracks, flourished and died. I loved it!’

David Bellos, author of Is That a Fish in your Ear?

‘Formidably researched but lightly written, I put down this book with the pleasurable sense that the world around me had become a little stranger and richer.’

Helen Gordon, author of Notes from Deep Time

‘Superb. With style and panache, Laura Spinney tells a truly extraordinary detective story.’

Matt Ridley, author of The Evolution of Everything

‘Spinney charts an extraordinary journey through human history with words as a compass. It is a sweeping story beautifully told. Profound and illuminating.’

Moudhy Al-Rashid, author of Between Two Rivers

‘A sweeping saga … Spinney explains how a single language family spread across the world … the most holistic approach yet to the topic’

Publishers Weekly

‘This beautifully researched and written book is about far more than language; it is a history of the world in microcosm.’

Douglas Preston, author of #1 New York Times bestselling The Lost City of the Monkey God

‘Proto is a real detective story told with a compelling combination of academic rigour, human interest, vivid description, and personal biography. A tour de force.’

David Crystal, author of A Date with Language

‘Hooray for a book where the author’s curiosity, diligence, and literary craft gets it all down – the language, the archaeology, the DNA – in what will stand as the go-to source for a generation at least.’

John McWhorter, author of New York Times bestselling Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter