Customer Comments:
 storyteller February 8, 2008
I am a first-time author and needed a lot of help. Even with the help from my self-publishing company, I needed more. I had never heard of the Chicago Manual of Style. The publishing company uses this book so I ordered it. I have to admit that it still didn't hold all my answers but it did help. I found it easy to navigate but as all books there were some things that weren't addressed. These I looked for in the Merriman Webster Dictionary. They also have an online dictionary. That was most helpful. I'm glad I ordered the Chicago Manual of Style and I'm sure I'll use it often as I continue to write.
Great reference in an everchanging world January 14, 2008
This is a great book. It provides a broad range of information on style. I use it mostly for formatting references in journal articles (I'm a journal editor). It does have a good amount of international information, too, though has some limits for people who are not living or writing in America--for example, in titles and honorifics, it breaks down right to the municipal level in US, but not in other countries.
Two things I would like to see. First is a hearty softcover edition (this is heavy enough and I carry it a lot of places to do work.
Second is some kind of ability, once you've bought the book, to access the on-line version, which includes both all of the information in the book, and a full range of advice on a variety of other issues that readers have brought to their attention. The two in tandem are the ultimate style resource.
 If Only Editors Were This Thoughtful! December 30, 2007
1 out of 1 found this comment useful.
I stayed away from the Chicago Manual for years because I remember being intimidated by it in college, and because now, in my master's program, they require APA (ugh!). I let the Hanukkah Fairy bring me this because I started a new, writing-heavy job, and I am so glad she or he did, because the manual has mellowed with age, becoming flexible, thoughtful and agreeable. It has already helped me on the job several times. For example, it acknowledges that distinctions are blurring between marketing copy and what us old-timers think of as "text," and that it is all right for organizations to improvise some of their own conventions. It's as if they're saying, "Don't be stupid and get yourself fired lower-casing the appositive form of your boss's title because of something WE told you!" Buying the Chicago Manual is like investing in a good camera or paint set; it can't do the work for you, but it can certainly help you improve your work.
Awesome experience! December 11, 2007
0 out of 3 found this comment useful.
Book arrived in excellent condition and on time - what more can you ask for.
Reads remarkably well November 12, 2007
I expected a rather dry composition of rules. Instead, the examples are usually both somewhat lively and useful. In addition, on occassion the deep structure of our language peeks thru, providing insights into the way English compositors think. The utility of the tome is limited, however, by the exhaustive depth and breadth of the subject: finding a relavent rule for a particular topic can be confusing. There is definite lack of emphasis on the fluidity of language as a mode of communication. Finally, the book lacks a sppell checker.
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