The chief librarians of ancient Alexandria included Eratosthenes (of Byzantium), who determined that the earth was round and measured its circumference, Callimachus, whose catalogue established the canon of Greek classics, and the lexicographer Aristophanes, who pioneered the science of etymology.

ECONOMIST: Runes among the ruins

There's been much debate on these pages in recent days about the spread of Americanisms - outside the US. Here, American lexicographer and broadcaster Grant Barrett offers a riposte.

BBC: Viewpoint: American English is getting on well, thanks