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The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago Press Staff
Book Summary InformationAuthor: University of Chicago Press Staff Edition: Hardcover Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2003-08-01 ISBN: 0226104036 Number of pages: 984 Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Book Reviews of The Chicago Manual of StyleBook Review: A must-have reference for writers and editors Summary: 5 Stars
This is a condensed version of a detailed review posted on my web site, The Purple Crayon.
The 14th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style was for years the standard style reference for many book publishing companies. The new edition, the first revision in ten years, and the most substantial in more than thirty, seems likely to play the same role.
Contents: The new edition opens with "The Parts of a Publshed Work," which covers magazines as well as books. Then come chapters on manuscript preparation and editing, proofs, and rights and permissions (which includes a useful introduction to U.S. copyright law). After these is a new chapter on grammar and usage, followed by what has always seemed to me to be the meat of Chicago: detailed guidance on handling punctuation, spelling, names, numbers, foreight languages, quotations and dialogue, illustrations, and abbreviations. Sizable chapters on documentation of sources in notes and bibliographies and on creating indexes wrap up the body of the book. Then come an appendix on the basics of design and production and another consisting of flowcharts showing the publishing process, the bibliography, and the index.
The 15th compared to the 14th edition: The design is significantly different, to start with. The 14th edition uses a simple approach, which some would call classic and others old-fashioned. The 15th edition uses a greater variety of typefaces and weights in an effort to make information easier to locate on the page. It introduces blue as a second color. Blue has its greatest impact in the grammar information, where it is used to pick out the examples.
What's more important is that there is a considerable amount of new information. They now take account of the fact that much editing is now done on screen, and provide guidance for electronic publication and for citing information found on the Internet. The chapter on grammar and usage means that Chicago now answers many questions that were not addressed in earlier editions. There are many other updates throughout the book, and I see quite a lot of revision. For example, the material on commas has been reorganized, given new sub-headers, and designed to fit in about ten pages instead of fifteen. The intention seems to be to make it easier to use. Those used to the 14th edition may feel otherwise, of course.
Each item is, as before, numbered sequentially within a chapter, so that to find information on interjections, for example, you turn to 7.32. But the numbering of items has changed from the previous edition, so you will not be able to turn to the 14th edition if a copyeditor refers you to "CMS 6.104" on the issue of square brackets. That number will only take you to the right place in the 15th edition.
Comments: Chicago subtitles itself "The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers." I think that is a reasonable claim.... The new edition has quickly been put into use by trade and academic publishers, and anyone with a copy of the 14th edition will find that it is no longer of practical use, as it is the 15th edition that is being used to answer questions of punctuation, capitalization, citation style, and other thorny issues.
Look at this as several different books bound together. One slim book explains the parts of a book or journal, how to prepare and edit a manuscript, and how copyright law underlies publishing. Another small volume covers grammar and usage. A large central chunk covers the minutiae of treatment of names, capitalization, abbreviations, and the like. Then comes another book on footnotes, bibliographies, and indexes. Last of all comes a pamphlet on design and production, followed by a very useful bibliography and index.
Summary of The Chicago Manual of StyleThe Fifteenth Edition is available in book form and as a subscription Web site. The same content from The Chicago Manual of Style is in both versions.
In the 1890s, a proofreader at the University of Chicago Press prepared a single sheet of typographic fundamentals intended as a guide for the University community. That sheet grew into a pamphlet, and the pamphlet grew into a book?the first edition of the Manual of Style, published in 1906. Now in its fifteenth edition, The Chicago Manual of Style?the essential reference for authors, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers in any field?is more comprehensive and easier to use than ever before.
Those who work with words know how dramatically publishing has changed in the past decade, with technology now informing and influencing every stage of the writing and publishing process. In creating the fifteenth edition of the Manual, Chicago's renowned editorial staff drew on direct experience of these changes, as well as on the recommendations of the Manual's first advisory board, composed of a distinguished group of scholars, authors, and professionals from a wide range of publishing and business environments.
Every aspect of coverage has been examined and brought up to date?from publishing formats to editorial style and method, from documentation of electronic sources to book design and production, and everything in between. In addition to books, the Manual now also treats journals and electronic publications. All chapters are written for the electronic age, with advice on how to prepare and edit manuscripts online, handle copyright and permissions issues raised by technology, use new methods of preparing mathematical copy, and cite electronic and online sources.
A new chapter covers American English grammar and usage, outlining the grammatical structure of English, showing how to put words and phrases together to achieve clarity, and identifying common errors. The two chapters on documentation have been reorganized and updated: the first now describes the two main systems preferred by Chicago, and the second discusses specific elements and subject matter, with examples of both systems. Coverage of design and manufacturing has been streamlined to reflect what writers and editors need to know about current procedures. And, to make it easier to search for information, each numbered paragraph throughout the Manual is now introduced by a descriptive heading.
Clear, concise, and replete with commonsense advice, The Chicago Manual of Style, fifteenth edition, offers the wisdom of a hundred years of editorial practice while including a wealth of new topics and updated perspectives. For anyone who works with words, whether on a page or computer screen, this continues to be the one reference book you simply must have.
What's new in the Fifteenth Edition:
* Updated material throughout to reflect current style, technology, and professional practice
* Scope expanded to include journals and electronic publications
* Comprehensive new chapter on American English grammar and usage by Bryan A. Garner (author of A Dictionary of Modern American Usage)
* Updated and rewritten chapter on preparing mathematical copy
* Reorganized and updated chapters on documentation, including guidance on citing electronic sources
* Streamlined coverage of current design and production processes, with a glossary of key terms
* Descriptive headings on all numbered paragraphs for ease of reference
* New diagrams of the editing and production processes for both books and journals, keyed to chapter discussions
* New, expanded Web site with special tools and features for Manual users at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.
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