From Shady Characters

Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji

Cover for "Face with Tears of Joy", showing the face with tears of joy emoji throughout emoji history
Cover of Face with Tears of Joy. (W. W. Norton, 2025.)

Sex! Conflict! International standards bodies! The story of emoji is far more interesting than it has any right to be. Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji will explore where the world’s newest language came from, how it works, and where it is going. It will not help you master emoji — only a tween could do that, and they will be too busy texting — but it will provide an indispensable guide to the most vibrant part of modern language.

Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji is available for pre-order, to be published in July 2025 by W. W. Norton.

In paperback
Pre-order the paperback in the USA from Norton, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, Bookshop.org, Hudson, Powell’s, or Walmart.

In the rest of the world, order from Amazon.co.uk, Bookshop.org or Waterstones.

E-book
Pre-order the e-book for your Nook at Barnes & Noble; for your Kobo at Kobo.com; for your iPhone or iPad at Apple Books; or for your Kindle at Amazon (USA) or Amazon (UK).