I would also like to recommend two superb encyclopedia-style works on linguistics:
(1) “The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language”, by David Crystal
(2) “The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language,” by David Crystal
Both are characterized by lot of short articles, sidebars, pictures, cartoons, and examples of texts to the point at hand. I read them both cover to cover, and have refered to them again and again when beginning to explore a new topic in the field.
I would also like to recommend two superb encyclopedia-style works on linguistics:
(1) “The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language”, by David Crystal
(2) “The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language,” by David Crystal
Both are characterized by lot of short articles, sidebars, pictures, cartoons, and examples of texts to the point at hand. I read them both cover to cover, and have refered to them again and again when beginning to explore a new topic in the field.