Logomania:
Where Common Phrases Come From And How To Use Them

You've read the column, now buy the book! Over 400 phrases explained, including: To ring the changes, To kill with kindness, To cook someone's goose, Nincompoop, It's all Greek to me, Witch Hunt, Wolf in sheep's clothing and many more. 2009 Malaysia Publishing House or MPH ISBN 978-967-5222-47-4. Recommended price in Malaysia is RM32.90 On sale now in bookshops in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.

Buy It Online

MPH Malaysia and Times Malaysia, and Kinokuniya.

Sneak Peak!

Click on the images below (twice if you want REALLY BIG text!) to enlarge and find free sneak peeks.

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Free! Click to read preface

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Free! Sneak peek sample chapter

Free! Sneak peek sample chapter p2

Praise for Logomania

"Logomania is a fascinating and very enjoyable exploration of some of the quirkier phrases in the English language and the historical circumstances and cultural practices that gave rise to them. Ellen Whyte also provides plenty of examples of the expressions is use so you can comfortably slip these new expressions into everyday conversation."
Sharon Bakar, author of Bibliobibuli book blog.

"Logomania, Ellen Whyte's latest tome about the origins of phrases, is the 21st century answer to the old-fashioned encyclopaedia. Crammed with fascinating facts, there's nothing dry, stuffy or antiquated about these anecdotes that every English speaker can relate to. With her signature humorous treatment, Ellen turns esoteric subjects into what they should be: heaps of reading fun."
Alexandra Wong, writer, Navel Gazer columnist, and Bunny Prints blogger.

"Ellen's curiosity is unstoppably contagious. Each week, her stories take more than 50,000 young readers on a journey of discovery, offering insight on just about every subject from ants to animal rescue, frogs to farming, rubbish to recycling. Over the past five years, her work on the "Big Outside" series has become a stalwart feature in The Straits Times' Little Red Dot weekly magazine, where her crisp, clean style shows clearly how passionate and curious she is about the world we live in. She never fails to deliver something fresh every time, getting readers to think, analyse and understand more about their environment. It's this same energy that thrives in the pages of Logomania, through which I am sure Ellen will infect a broader audience with her unique blend of wit and wisdom."
Serene Goh, editor of The Straits Times' Little Red Dot.

"If you are puzzled when someone says "It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings", have been told by someone "that's for the birds", or are ever accused of having "bats in the belfry", this is the book to go to for clarification. Ellen Whyte's book has a lot more of such intriguing expressions used by English speakers; and Ellen not only gives us their meanings, but also their origins or possible origins and cultural background, as well as a sentence for each expression to show us how it can be used. The book has the merit of being both informative and fun to read - like her articles in /The Star/'s Mind Our English page - of which these chapters are expanded versions. I heartily recommend this book to both students of English and general readers interested in the language."
Fadzilah Amin, freelance English teacher and Mind Your English columnist.

"Logomania answers three questions: the meaning of common phrases, the history behind them and how to use them. An A for all three answers."
Lydia Teh, author of Do You Wear Suspenders? The Wordy Tales of Eh Poh Nim, and Life's Like That blog.

Logomania In The Press

Bibliobibuli
Two Books For Ellen

Eric Forbes’s Book Addict’s Guide
Recommended Reads

Mind Our English Logomania Competition
Competition Nov2009 with 10 books as prize Click here for the newspaper announcement and here for image.
Winners announced 18th December 2009. Khoo Cheng Kim, Evelyn Foo Suan Choo, Chan Wai Yee, Lisa Lee, Sng Aun Heng, Jason Gomez, Etienne Lim Kit Weng, Poh Boon Sing, Cheah Kin Choong and Choong Yi. See image here.

New Man Magazine
Book Review on Page 32 of New Man Dec 2009 Click here for image

The NTV7 Breakfast Show
on 15 Dec 2009 was mostly about my other book Katz Tales, but Logomania was also mentioned. Check out this clip

Kosmo! newspaper feature
Persona Menulis tentang kucing on 25th December 2009

My Hodgepodge Review
18 January 2010

Quill Magazine
January - March 2010 Click page 1 and page 2 for image

Travel 3Sixty Air Asia Inflight Magazine
January - March 2010

Review on May Zhee's Blog
June 2010

Media Page