Proto

Laura Spinney is a science journalist and writer. She is the author of the celebrated Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World. Her writing on science has appeared in National Geographic, Nature, The Guardian and The Atlantic, among others. Born in the UK, she lives in Paris.

'The fascinating story of the ancient words that survive in the mouths of billions of speakers today.' Henry Oliver, The Guardian 'Proto will take the reader on an unlikely historical odyssey … most importantly, it shows that we are more connected than we might have been led to believe.' New Statesman 'A magisterial feat … It is clever, careful, expansive, insightful and a host of other fine Indo-European adjectives.' New Scientist 'Bringing together genetic, archaeological and linguistic research, Spinney tells the fascinating story of the common ancestor of many languages spoken around the world today.' Financial Times 'An enormously refreshing and readable history of worlds that were physically far apart but, in a sense, spoke with a single voice.' David Abulafia, Literary Review 'A compelling portrait of a people thought lost to time … a remarkable account of humanity’s quest to rediscover its ancient origins.' Wall Street Journal 'Beguiling and revelatory… Spinney is a stylish and erudite writer.' Laura Miller, Slate 'Intriguing, lively … something for everyone.' Nature 'The fascinating tale of how a tiny, long-lost ancestral language, Proto-Indo-European, gave birth to a great family of languages … death and life are in the power of the tongue' Michael Hurley, BBC Radio 4 Thought for the Day 'A lively and fascinating account. 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 ‘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