'The Evolution of English Prose launches and sustains its major claims with unfailing lucidity. McIntosh expertly attends to the shift in 'the primary textures of prose' as they both register and influence the new ideal. His comprehensive map derives from precise topographical studies ... is especially persuasive as an interpreter of grammars and dictionaries, which did so much to promote the new ideologies of decorum. In an academic climate that encourages blinkered polemics, McIntosh embraces multiple fields, perspectives and methodologies. The Evolution of English Prose deserves a wide readership.' The Times Literary Supplement