Originally published in 1981, Alpha to Omega is divided into twenty-four sections, each of which examines one letter of the Greek alphabet, looking at English words that come from Greek words beginning with the letter under discussion, and exploring the aspects of Greek culture behind the borrowed words. It also includes an examination of letters that were discarded from the Greek alphabet.

Frequent collaborators, Alexander and Nicholas Humez have coauthored several books exploring language and languages, both classical and modern. Separately, Alexander has worked as a lexicographer and technical writer, while Nicholas has been a featured columnist as both language specialist and music critic. Together, composer (Nicholas) and lyricist (Alexander) have written three chamber operas and numerous art songs.