content: I read this book to see if I might use it the next time I teach the history of the English language. There are many typos in this edition, beginning with the cover (transformtum is not a Latin word). More surprising, given the content, is how many grammatical errors it contains as well. Also, the book often uses phonetic symbols that are never explained. The chart on the inside cover, because concerned only with present-day English, omits them. I think this book would cause a lot of frustration for students, and it reaffirms my belief that Cengage is a profit-driven press that does not care much about the quality of the texts it produces.