Punctuation with a Punch Line

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
by Lynne Truss

It seems fitting to begin our foray into a reading blog with a little book on punctuation bemoaning the fate of the English (and yes, that's the UK) language in an era of electronic communication. Josh picked out this intriguing book and insisted I would enjoy it. I admit - I only grabbed it last week because I was waiting for more library books. (Josh is my lackey in this since the Brooklyn Public Library and I have had a falling-out, so sometimes I have to wait for books. Since he carries them from Fordham for me, I feel I can't be too picky on his timing.) So there I am on the New York subway, laughing out loud at the flippant tone Ms. Truss takes on every issue, despite her seriousness. I don't know how many books she had to read on punctuation to research this book (there's a hefty bibliography), but I am sure the vast majority fell far short of the entertainment she provides.

It is printed here in the States without any modification, and many of the rules and examples are slightly different. Even so - and even though I consider myself a careful writer - I learned much I have already put to use (particularly on the semicolon). Beware, though! You might find yourself picking out errors in all the newspapers for days after finishing it.

On a side note, I apologize to those who are not fans of Amazon.com - I'm sure you know a store you like where you can find this book. If you're on good terms with your library, you could even find a copy there. In the meantime, I wanted a link to the book. (I considered taking a picture or scanning ours, but the cover has disappeared and the book suffered some accident with an unknown liquid in a suitcase on one of our recent travels, so that wouldn't work. I promise this is not just an excuse to allow us to avoid lending the book out.)

Enjoy!