I just got my warm-from-the-presses copies of the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (I’m happy-proud to note that I was a member of this new volume’s advisory board), and I wanted to pop a few pictures in front of you. It’s gorgeously well designed (truly: very easy on the eyes), and thoroughly thorough, and if your life has anything to do with editorial work, I can safely say that you will find it indispensable.
Not only does it cover all the nuts-and-bolts-y things, as CMoS has always done superbly and clearly, but it also delves thoughtfully into the nuances of This Our Twenty-First-Century English.
It pains me to say it, after all these decades of exhorting people to track down used copies, but my beloved Words into Type has perhaps finally achieved obsolescence. Bless it for its service.
And just so you know that I’m (a) still me, and (b) not a complete suck-up, parts of 6.83 and nearly all of 6.85 make me see red.1
Otherwise: It’s a thing of beauty.
To be continued,
Benjamin
And Now A Word From Our Sponsor
Thank you for being here, thank you for following, thank you especially for subscribing. All of this substackery of mine is free and will remain that way, which means that if you have chosen to contribute to its and my upkeep,2 in larger or smaller ways, you are doing something you don’t have to do, which makes your generosity that much more resonant, and I am profoundly grateful. If you’re not yet part of that contributing crew and there’s a part of you that’s thinking “Who would have thought that apostrophes and old movies could be so much fun?” and you choose to join the crew, I will be eternally (or at least monthly or annually) in your debt.
And Sallie’s!
But is it as much fun to dip into as Dreyer's English?
Lots of buzz in Editors’ Association of Earth on Facebook, about the acid green and how the banner down the left side eats up a third of one’s screen space; and the need for a PDF of the hyphenation guide, which has moved from 7.89 to 7.96 (aargh—new citation numbers??). Fun fact: If you search “departures” in the online edition, you’ll find most if not all of the significant changes.