Daniel Harbour has done a masterful job at bringing decipherment to life. Rich in historical anecdote, with clear linguistic exposition – and entertaining puzzles – he brilliantly conveys the thrill of connecting with the ancient world. Harbour is an immensely knowledgeable guide and he has written a playful, deeply-researched book full of fascinating detail that will delight lovers of languages and ancient scripts

ALEX BELLOS, author of The Language Lover's Puzzle Book

Plato said that writing was dangerous, linguists call it irrelevant, Harbour shows that it is brilliant and strange . . . The pace never lets up as the scripts keep coming, with new solutions still arriving as the book is being written. And Harbour doesn't just tell us about decipherment, he teaches us how to do it ourselves, with ingenious puzzles that pull us into the story he is telling

JOSEPHINE QUINN, author of How the World Made the West

There is so much more to decipherment than meets the eye of the uninitiated. It's a gripping science that draws on a dizzying number of disciplines. Its heroes – those who gave our ancient ancestors their voices back – are more like superheroes, with the powers of tenacity, wisdom and encyclopaedic knowledge. You really have to suspend disbelief to take it all in. Daniel Harbour does an outstanding job of opening up this world with – as he describes one of his protagonists – 'one eye for enchantment, the other for exactitude'. It's an impossible book to put down

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

The Book of Lost Languages is a remarkable uncovering of hidden treasures that, once rediscovered, shine in the beautiful light of rediscovery

IAN McMILLAN, Presenter of The Verb

A riveting biographical history of decipherment, told with exemplary clarity, and combining all the drama of a political thriller, the intrigue of a detective story, and the challenge of a cryptic crossword

DAVID CRYSTAL, Author of Crystal's Curiosity Cabinet

The Book of Lost Languages is a joy and a gift to lovers of language, history and puzzles. Daniel Harbour makes the intricacies of decipherment readily accessible for newcomers, engrossing them through a relaxed tone of authorial voice, a judicious inclusion and exclusion of details, and practical 'hands on' sections throughout. He demonstrates both his considerable talent as a writer (with many pithy phrases and punchy sentences demanding a reread for full delectation) and his immense knowledge of decipherment and adjacent fields

DANNY BATE, author of Why Q Needs U