Light reading on HEL, best reserved for your pastime...
The Evolution of English [a video lecture by Charlotte Bowen]
The History of English Obscured [a short article by Sally Thomason, posted on Language Log on 17 February 2008]
History of the English language driven by the French [a blog entry by Dan Johnson-Weinberger, dated 19 April 2008]
Technology: Textese May Be the Death of English [a Newsweek article by Lily Huang, dated 2 August 2008]
Online Chat with Anne Curzan [The topic is the history of English!]