By Małgosia Halliop The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams is a fascinating novel that asks questions about what is and isn’t included in that most basic of language tools: the dictionary. It’s a fictional story set within real and specific historical events, and reminds us of the ways even a seemingly neutral document like … Continue reading Book Review: “The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams
Category: book review
Book Review: “On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present” by Karen Stollznow
By Amanda Clarke—With an increasing awareness around inclusive and conscious language, the time is ripe for a book that explores offensive language and its roots. This is what Karen Stollznow sets out to do in her book, On the Offensive: Prejudice in Language Past and Present. Without an understanding of the ways that …
Book Review: “Around the World in 80 Words: A Journey Through the English Language” by Paul Anthony Jones
By Amanda Clarke—For lovers of words, books are a great way to travel at any time. When actual travel is not possible, books that can take you to far-off places become even more important. Around the World in 80 Words: A Journey Through the English Language takes us on a worldwide journey through …
Book Review: Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris
by Alicja Minda If there is one book a housebound editor should gravitate toward in the time of a pandemic, it is Mary Norris’s latest book, Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen. A former copy editor and long-time query proofreader at The New Yorker, Norris earned her reputation as the “Comma Queen” with … Continue reading Book Review: Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris
Book Review: Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer
by Indu Singh In the first chapter of Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, the author poses a challenge to his readers: go a week without writing any of the words out of a list of what he considers pointless adverbs, including very, rather, really, quite, just, so, surely, of course, … Continue reading Book Review: Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer
Book Review: Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples by Gregory Younging
by Indu Singh Exactly one year ago today, members of Editors Toronto had the privilege of hearing Gregory Younging speak about his recently published style guide, Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples, at a regular monthly Editors Toronto program meeting. The standing-room-only program was one of our most … Continue reading Book Review: Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples by Gregory Younging
Book Review: Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper
by Michelle Waitzman Most people take dictionaries for granted. They are available to us, at home or at school, from the time we first learn to read. Those of us who work with words rely on them regularly. But few of us spend much time thinking about how a dictionary is put together and kept … Continue reading Book Review: Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper
Book Review: Nabokov’s Favorite Word Is Mauve by Ben Blatt
by Michelle Waitzman Can you tell whether a book was written by a man or a woman, based only on the words the author used? Is the road to hell (or at least to bad writing) paved with adverbs, as Stephen King once claimed? Do American authors write “louder” than British authors? If you’re intrigued … Continue reading Book Review: Nabokov’s Favorite Word Is Mauve by Ben Blatt
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