A SWEARING primer has won Wroughton dad a place at the top of the Amazon book charts – for language.

How to Swear: an illustrated guide has topped the online retailer’s semiotics charts, putting it above academic heavyweights like the Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics.

But for mild mannered graphic designer Stephen Wildish, the real success has been seeing his hardback book in world-renowned gallery the Tate Modern.

Stephen, 37, said: “I used to visit the Tate Modern a lot as an art student. I thought, ‘One day I’ll have something in the Tate’.”

But he never expected it to be a grammatically literate book about swearing.

The idea for the book, which is published by Penguin offshoot Ebury Press, grew out of the Friday Project.

It sees the designer create a new wacky graphic every month. Previous subjects have included North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il’s golfing career and Venn diagrams splitting super-heroes by their family background, super powers and clothing choices.

Stephen, who this year broke running ace Mo Farah's 100m sack race record, said: “I did another book before for a publisher, who used all my infographics. But they didn’t include any of the rude ones.

“I had all these rude, sweary diagrams. I went to another guy I knew who was connected to a publisher.

“He said he could get me in to Penguin, if I pitch it right.”

Famous publishing house Penguin snapped up the idea – but demanded that Stephen write it as a language book.

He had three months, running his Marlborough-based design firm Wildish & Co by day – and writing the book at night.

“It was really good fun,” said Stephen.

But when it came to the grammar he struggled: “I had to relearn everything from school.”

So he brought in friend Suzanne, a primary school teacher and grammar “expert”, to help. She sent the book proofs back covered in red pen corrections.

Stephen’s proud of the book, which takes a potted look at the history and correct uses of some of the rudest words in the English language.

But he’s not sure how much use it has been. He said: “The one thing I’ve found is that no one who’s bought the book needs it. They’re good at swearing.”

And he’s not yet told his two young children about the dirty book: “It’s a gift for their 18th birthdays.”

How to Swear by Stephen Wildish is £9.99. For more, visit: www.penguin.co.uk/books/1111160/how-to-swear.