Tag: book review

Book Review: “The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams

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 →

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 …

Editors’ Picks: Last-Minute Gift Ideas for the Editor in Your Life

By Alicja Minda—During the holiday season, we are bombarded with ideas on what to buy for the special people in our lives: family members, partners, friends. There are gift guides broken down by age, interest (for movie fans, for yoga lovers), and even occupation (for teachers, for chefs), yet I’ve never seen a list …

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: 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: Cite Right (3rd ed.) by Charles Lipson

by Summer Cowley As an editor with editor friends, I find myself often reading works by authors who use citation styles other than the ones I regularly use in my own writing. Even though I become more comfortable with different styles every time I see them, many styles are unfamiliar in my APA-dominated world of … Continue reading Book Review: Cite Right (3rd ed.) by Charles Lipson →