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Title: The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers (14th Edition) by John Grossman, University ISBN: 0-226-10389-7 Publisher: University of Chicago Press (Trd) Pub. Date: September, 1993 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $45.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.4 (35 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: A Cancer upon American Letters
Comment: Knowing that I go against the current strain of popular thought, I am writing to urge people not to buy this error-laden work of fools. The Chicago Manual of Style has done more to devalue American writing than anything other than the educational cutbacks initiated in the early 80's by the Reagan administration. Many of the "rules" expounded in the Chicago Manual of Style are in direct contradiction to accepted convention; to name just two examples, the placement of a serial comma before the "and" and the addition of an "s" following the apostrophe in a possessive already ending in "s."
I have served as an editor to writers in such diverse venues as concert program notes, grant proposals, fiction and books on history. Invariably, those who rely upon the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) are the ones whose work requires the most revision. There is a lugubrious clumsiness to writing infected with CMSisms. It should be a cause for concern to anyone who cares about American prose of any kind that such a muddle-headed embarrassment is becoming the law of our letters.
There are numerous excellent guides available for reference. Traditionally, I have recommended Turabian. However, I am dismayed to note that the editor of the most recent edition of that book has chosen to "conform" it to the Chicago Manual of Style, the exact opposite of what should be done. So get an earlier edition of Turabian, or use Strunk. Best of all, read a lot of great prose and model your own prose on what you encounter therein.
I feel obliged to state that I am not opposed to evolution in language. English is among the most vital and vibrant of languages, and thus most subject to change. What I oppose is change that diminishes rather than enhances. The Chicago Manual of Style diminishes English. It deprives English of its elegance, concision and effectiveness. Please do not waste your money on this travesty.
Rating: 5
Summary: Putting the Exceptions Where they Belong
Comment: As a freelance editor and typesetter, I find myself using CHICAGO nearly every day. At first, I thought it was unnecessarily thick and dense, but as I compared it to other style manuals, I found CHICAGO to be more comprehensive, thorough, and well-organized than others.
As with any reference of this type, it will take the reader a little time to become accustomed to the order. A first-time user will swear at it, but after repeated use, the user becomes more familiar with the how and why of this work.
Things that at first I found frustrating I now realize could NOT have been handled in a better or more efficient way. There is often no obvious place to put exceptions or obscure rules, and the editors pick a likely location. For example, suppose that while editing, I encounter a situation which doesn't quite fit a standard rule. At first, I think that this exception obviously belongs in Location A in CHICAGO, and wonder why the editors did not put it there. However, a month later, I may encounter a similar exception, but believe now that it obviously belongs in Location B in CHICAGO, and wonder why the editors did not put it there. Later, I realize that I have now thought that the same exception belonged in two different locations -- obviously, the editors can't just keep putting the same exceptions in every possible tangential location. As I gained familiarity with the book, I came to understand why certain exceptions or certain obscure rules were placed where they were -- and I came to agree that they were generally placed in the best location.
That said, there are still a few things I haven't found, but those generally involve simultaneous applications of multiple rules. Each rule is covered, but sometimes, it is unclear how multiple rules intersect.
I am entirely unwilling to trade it my CHICAGO for AP, MLA, Turabian, Strunk & White, or any other style manual.
Rating: 4
Summary: Needs revision
Comment: This work has such a reputation, and so much praise has been (rightly) given to it in the reviews, that it certainly does not need an endorsement; what could I say that hasn't been said?
That having been said, the Chicago Manual of Style is in need of a revision. Specifically, it does not cover issues that arise when self-typesetting books or journal articles, a common practice among mathematicians and scientists in the age of LaTeX.
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Title: The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr., E.B. White, Roger Angell ISBN: 020530902X Publisher: Pearson Higher Education Pub. Date: 15 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications: With Exercises and Answer Keys by Amy Einsohn ISBN: 0520218353 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: April, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law by Norm Goldstein, Associated Press ISBN: 0738207403 Publisher: Perseus Publishing Pub. Date: 02 July, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.50 |
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Title: The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition by University of Chicago Press Staff ISBN: 0226104036 Publisher: University of Chicago Press (Trd) Pub. Date: 01 August, 2003 List Price(USD): $55.00 |
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Title: Words into Type by Marjorie E. Skillin, Robert Malcolm Gay ISBN: 0139642625 Publisher: Pearson PTP Pub. Date: June, 1974 List Price(USD): $40.00 |
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