Reviews

Countless publishing professionals have learned the details of their business from this classic guide for publishers, editors and writers. It's updated every 10 years or so, and the 15th edition is the most extensive revision in decades. The Internet's influence is pervasive, with substantial sections on preparing manuscripts for electronic publishing, editing for online publications and citing electronic sources. The "Rights and Permissions" chapter is by attorney William S. Strong (The trace the publication process for books and journals, both print and electronic, from manuscript development to distribution and marketing. For the first time, the manual includes a chapter on grammar and usage, by Bryan A. Garner (A Dictionary of Modern Usage). Gone is the 13-page table showing when to hyphenate compound words of all sorts, but it's replaced by a six-plus-page list and a narrative overview, which will be simpler for the overworked manuscript editor ("copyeditor" has vanished, and the index relegates "copyediting" to a cross-reference to manuscript editing) to use. Traditionalists may be bothered by the new edition's preference for ZIP Code state abbreviations and dropping periods from such abbreviations as Ph.D. and even U.S. Some things do remain the same. The style guide still endorses the serial comma (which PW does not) and numerals are still spelled out from one through one hundred and at the beginning of a sentence. Those in the publishing industry will need this edition, both for what's new and for what they will want to argue about. 150,000 first printing. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Since 1906, the incomparable Chicago Manual has been the reference for writers, editors, copyeditors, publishers, and anyone else working with words. This historic new edition reflects the huge impact that computer technology has had on writing and publishing in recent decades. Novelties include a new chapter on American English grammar and usage by Bryan A. Garner (A Dictionary of Modern American Usage), significant updates of copyright and permissions information, a new typographic presentation of American Sign Language, and an "almost new" chapter on mathematical copy, especially useful for electronic notations. From elements to proofreading marks to bias-free language, the manual provides directions, preferences, and even suggestions to the publishing and writing professional. Chapter 16, for example, concentrates on the two documentation systems preferred by Chicago: the notes and bibliographic system and the author-date system. Chapter 17 concentrates on the style and items of bibliographic entries, notes, and parenthetical citations, while also providing information on interview, audiovisual, manuscript, and legal citations. In comparison, Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations is a useful resource for students, but it does not tackle publication and production issues. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, now in its fifth edition, also omits that information, while the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, now in its second edition, is more directed to the author's needs. Meanwhile, Chicago encompasses a variety of fields and professions, making this significant revision an invaluable addition to all public, academic, and special libraries.-Marilyn Searson Lary, North George Coll. & State Univ. Lib., Dahlonega, GA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.