The co-editors chose a very interesting topic to explore, the rise of early North American English. They solicited nine chapters from ten scholars with expertise in this area. The essays were grouped into four different thematically based parts: Varieties in Focus, Towards General American English, Ideology and Beyond, Beyond the Borders: Canadian English. These groupings added real texture to the book, something that would have been lost if the chapters had simply been added randomly. The individual chapters were very well researched and clearly written, and tables (where applicable) contained useful statistical information, information that was effectively integrated into empirical findings in subsequent discussions. While the authors provide extensive information on how American English became a full-fledged variety of English, one of the more interesting facets of the book is how the authors gathered empirical information upon which they based their analyses.

- Charles F. Meyer, University of Massachusetts Boston, in English Language and Linguistics (March 2024).,