Sunday, September 12, 2010

"Nit-picker's Bible"

So, Google News has informed me that the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has just been released and is generating a lot of buzz. Well, buzz for a bunch of grammar nerds anyway. So, here are some of the facts I found interesting while reading this 3 PAGE homage:
  • The Chicago Manual of Style has 11,000+ fans on FB.
  • The preferred spelling of the term "U.S." has been updated to: "US."
  • The proper citation for Wikipedia is now included.
  • The rule for sequential punctuation marks has been rethought - "Chicago says it is now OK in certain situations to use a comma directly after a question mark or exclamation point."
  • People seem to do more than just respect this book - they love it. They adore it. They want to make little half-text, half-human babies with it.
Overall, it was kind of interesting to read some of the ways that copyeditors think about this book. It's clear that it's one of their most vital tools. During editing tests they're often given this book and nothing else to reference. I've had to use it, but it certainly hasn't taken on the significance for me that it has for others. Not yet, anyway :D
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1 comment:

Pat said...

Very interesting to read what Google News had to say. I'd read the NYT article on it. You might want to look at it, Shayna, and do a quick comparison-contrast study.

THE CHICAGO MANUAL is what I call our office's driver's manual. We refer to it frequently and do revere it. I'll bring in a related book called The Subversive Copyeditor by Carol Saller, editor of CM's FAQ section. The subtitle of the book is Advice from Chicago (or, How to Negotiate Good Relationships with Your Writers, Your Colleagues, and Yourself). It's a wonderful book.

September 13, 2010 at 8:07 AM

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