Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
by Lynne Truss
Available in paperback, hardback, Kindle and other formats. Gotham, 2006; ISBN: 1592402038; 235 pages.
This book was a #1 New York Times bestseller a few years back. Before that it was a British bestseller and before that a top-rated radio show. If you haven’t read it, you should.
One might assume an over-200-page book on punctuation might be the perfect cure for insomnia. To the contrary, this title is quite entertaining. The author has started a revolution against poor punctuation usage. Fueled by passion, an acerbic wit, and a deep understanding of the history of language, the author motivates readers to take a full stand. Rules and explanations are included, of course, but only within the context of great stories and logic. By the end of this book, you’ll be a card-carrying member of her vigilant watch.
My copy even includes a Punctuation Repair Kit! That’s right; I am armed with giant apostrophe, comma and period stickers to correct foolish attacks on the English language. After reading this book, (hopefully) I can employ them properly.
Final Thoughts: Great book. Learn the rules without pain or boredom.
Posted by Kristina on May 11, 2010 at 3:53 pm
This is a great book, but one caution: It’s British, and British rules are sometimes different from the American rules of punctuation.
Posted by tanyasue on May 11, 2010 at 4:31 pm
True! I’ve not read the original British printing. The Gotham publication (linked to above) includes rules for both British and American punctuation. The author clearly prefers her native UK rules, but she does distinguish between the two clarifying which uses are appropriate where in this more recent printing. She also makes note of different spellings in the 30+ page introduction.