talbotlucas.org: a word to the wise is sufficient

August may bring humid weather, wildfires, and the return to school, but this year it also brings the 15th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, the latest and greatest on editing the written word from the Staff of the University of Chicago Press.

Today's New York Times features a delightful article that captures some of the care and passion that go into the revision process. Anita Samen--who joined the Press while I was still working there and is now the chief of the manuscript editing department--represents the enthusiasm that the Press staff bring to this project. (The Chicago Tribune also ran a piece on the Manual in yesterday's paper.)

Terrence occasionally asks if we really need to keep copies of the 13th and 14th editions on our shelves, and I'm sure that question will come up again when my copy of the 15th edition arrives. For the time being, my answer is yes. It's a wonderful trip down memory lane to read the prefaces of each edition and see the acknowledgments given to Press staff--past and present--with whom I worked and whom I respected. And past editions did contain a few of what I would call inside jokes--not jokes that introduced errors or that were at anyone's expense, but little details that would make a Press alum smile with recognition.

Also of note from the Press is Book Clubs by Elizabeth Long. For those of you who've been involved in a book club in more than a passing way, or for those of you who wonder why this form of gathering has become something of a phenomenon, Long's book may be worth a look. I miss the monthly meetings of the Ivey Book Group of which I was a proud member from its formation in February 1990 until I left Chicago in November of 1996. Actually, I like to think that we're only on a really long hiatus, and that we're all still members of the Group, and someday I'll make good on my plan to put our 6+ years of records in electronic form. But that, my friends, is a project for another day.

Back to work...