Rating: 
Summary: Prescriptionist McKinnon is off base
Review:
Arlo McKinnon writes, "Many of the 'rules' expounded in the Chicago Manual of Style are in direct contradiction to accepted convention; to name just two examples, the placement of a serial comma before the 'and' and the addition of an 's' following the apostrophe in a possessive already ending in "s.'"
McKinnon's ignorance regarding the serial comma rule certainly calls into question his authority as an editor. The only place I've seen this so-called convention of omitting the comma is in the AP Manual--not an authority to be relying for serious editorial work, I think. Besides, how well would McKinnon's blind obedience to this so-called convention apply in the possibly apocryphal book dedication, "I'd like to thank my parents, Ayn Rand and God"? Aren't editors supposed to improve the flow and logic of writing, not force it into some straitjacket of rigid rules that only exist inside the editor's head?
People seeking editorial advice would be better off with the Chicago Manual than they would be with a hyperbolic prescriptionist like McKinnon. My office has both the 14th AND 15th editions on the shelf, and they get used--usefully--every single week.
Rating: 
Summary: Picky, exhaustive, opinionated -- and essential.
Review: "The Chicago Manual" goes into sometimes-excruciating detail
about the pickiest rules of punctuation, typesetting,
academic references, and spelling. If you are interested in
(or your readers care about) the differences between
hyphens, en-dashes, and em-dashes, or if you want to know
how to include Portuguese quotations in your writing, "The
Chicago Manual" is your best guide. You may not always agree
with it (you may prefer not to put a comma before the final
"and" of a list, for example), but at least it is a
definitive authority to disagree with.
Rating:
Summary: Prescriptionist McKinnon is off base
Review: (Note: An incoherent review of February 3, 2003 ("No stall. No style") appearing under my name was NOT actually written by myself. Someone calling himself "Steve Van Natter" has apparently changed the names on his reviews, and they're being credited to yours truly.)Arlo McKinnon writes, "Many of the 'rules' expounded in the Chicago Manual of Style are in direct contradiction to accepted convention; to name just two examples, the placement of a serial comma before the 'and' and the addition of an 's' following the apostrophe in a possessive already ending in "s.'" McKinnon's ignorance regarding the serial comma rule certainly calls into question his authority as an editor. The only place I've seen this so-called convention of omitting the comma is in the AP Manual--not an authority to be relying for serious editorial work, I think. Besides, how well would McKinnon's blind obedience to this so-called convention apply in the possibly apocryphal book dedication, "I'd like to thank my parents, Ayn Rand and God"? Aren't editors supposed to improve the flow and logic of writing, not force it into some straitjacket of rigid rules that only exist inside the editor's head? People seeking editorial advice would be better off with the Chicago Manual than they would be with a hyperbolic prescriptionist like McKinnon. My office has both the 14th AND 15th editions on the shelf, and they get used--usefully--every single week.
Rating: 
Summary: Want to find out what's new in the 14th edition?
Review: A description of changes, updates, and new material in the 14thedition is online athttp://www.press.uchicago.edu/News/manual_of_style.html. And while you're at it you can find a link on our homepage -- www.press.uchicago.edu -- to other useful books in our series of Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing.
Rating:
Summary: Nominee for a Bloopie!
Review: Am I the only reader who actually read Amazon's review of this book? I'd like to nominate the Amazon review for William Safire's Bloopie Award for the sloppiest solecisms. The reviewer claims that this book will instruct on "how to deftly avoid (sic) the split infinitive."
Rating:
Summary: Putting the Exceptions Where they Belong
Review: As a freelance editor and typesetter, I find myself using CHICAGO nearly every day. At first, I thought it was unnecessarily thick and dense, but as I compared it to other style manuals, I found CHICAGO to be more comprehensive, thorough, and well-organized than others. As with any reference of this type, it will take the reader a little time to become accustomed to the order. A first-time user will swear at it, but after repeated use, the user becomes more familiar with the how and why of this work. Things that at first I found frustrating I now realize could NOT have been handled in a better or more efficient way. There is often no obvious place to put exceptions or obscure rules, and the editors pick a likely location. For example, suppose that while editing, I encounter a situation which doesn't quite fit a standard rule. At first, I think that this exception obviously belongs in Location A in CHICAGO, and wonder why the editors did not put it there. However, a month later, I may encounter a similar exception, but believe now that it obviously belongs in Location B in CHICAGO, and wonder why the editors did not put it there. Later, I realize that I have now thought that the same exception belonged in two different locations -- obviously, the editors can't just keep putting the same exceptions in every possible tangential location. As I gained familiarity with the book, I came to understand why certain exceptions or certain obscure rules were placed where they were -- and I came to agree that they were generally placed in the best location. That said, there are still a few things I haven't found, but those generally involve simultaneous applications of multiple rules. Each rule is covered, but sometimes, it is unclear how multiple rules intersect. I am entirely unwilling to trade it my CHICAGO for AP, MLA, Turabian, Strunk & White, or any other style manual.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a "must-have"!
Review: Being new to creating WinHelp files and editing, I needed a reference book to verify punctuation, grammar, terminolgy, and to develop a style guide for future documentation. This book covers every subject imaginable. I was even able to educate our vice-president of sales and marketing about copyrights. I keep my copy of "The Chicago Manual of Style" with me constantly. I find myself opening it and reading a section whenever I have a free moment. I've learned more from this book in two weeks than in the years before buying it. So what is stopping YOU from ordering your own copy
Rating:
Summary: In league with the MLA style manual!
Review: Being the owner of several style books, e.g., MLA Style Manual et al; I have to say that this style book in question, i.e., The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers (14th Edition) by John Grossman(Preface) is one of the better style books that are available for purchase. The book starts out with a well developed table of contents. The preface written by the managing editor, i.e., John Grossman is very well written and is not stuffy or overly pretentious which is nice. The first part of the stylebook talks about the art of bookmaking and everything that is involved in this art. Amongst these are the parts of the book, manuscript preparation and copyediting, proofs and rights of permission. The second section deals with style, i.e., rules regarding writing that incorporate punctuation, spelling and distinctive treatment of words, names and terms, numbers, foreign languages in type, quotations, illustrations, tables, mathematics in type, abbreviations, notes and bibliographies, author date citations and reference lists and last but not least indexes. The final part of the book is called production and printing and include the following sections: design and typography, composition, printing, binding and papermaking. In the end of the book there are also three sections that can be considered very helpful these being: glossary of technical terms, bibliography, and a well developed index.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!!!
Review: Comparitively speaking, this is the best source an author or publisher can use to increase his or her knowledge of grammer. This book is one of the best in it's area, and should be used by teachers and professers across campuses
Rating:
Summary: The standard
Review: Despite the complaints, despite its exhaustive nature, despite the nitty-gritty approach, The Chicago Manual of Style is THE standard in the book publishing industry. Even when you make exceptions to a rule described in Chicago, you reference the book itself. That being said, know your area of writing. If you are writing for a newspaper or magazine, for example, use the AP manual. If you are writing a term paper or thesis, know your professor's bias. There many elements of grammar and punctuation that are stylistic elements, for example the serial comma. Chicago recommends using the serial comma, but in a journalistic article this is considered inappropriate. Chicago is exhaustive in nature, but as a copyeditor, I find it extremely useful. Use what you need, and don't worry about the rest.
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