Jun 302012
The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition
While digital technologies have revolutionized the publishing world in the twenty-first century, one thing still remains true: The Chicago Manual of Style is the authoritative, trusted source that writers, editors, and publishers turn to for guidance on style and process. For the sixteenth edition, every aspect of coverage has been reconsidered to reflect how publishing professionals work today. Though processes may change, the Manual continues to offer the clear, well-considered style and usage
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Chicago has updated itself enough so I think I can actually toss some of my other reference books!,
The new version is certainly worth the purchase price! They’ve added an entire new section on electronic publishing, updated capitalization rules (web [lowercase] is now acceptable), made things more consistent, and speaking of consistency, added a new section on parallel structure.
The updated rules for numbers now allow me to toss the ancient GPO Style Manual kept handy for that (I work in science and technology), not to mention the new usage section covering most of the troublesome words means I’ll be reaching for my American Heritage dictionary less frequently.
Well done Chicago! Thank you!
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|Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition,
As a book editor (also called a book doctor), I must keep up with the latest style issues for books, and CMOS is the bible of book style. It may not be easy to find entries in the printed version, but I use the CMOS Web site to search the subject I need. It tells me the sections to examine in the book, which simplifies and speeds up the process. I also have an “Ask the Book Doctor” column that appears in many newsletters and Web sites for writers, and I welcome readers of the column to send me questions. I often turn to the Chicago Manual of Style to find the absolute and final answers to those questions. It’s especially essential for resolving differences of opinions among members of critique circles and writers groups.The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition
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|Another must-have,
This latest edition of the “Chicago Manual of Style” is about 75 pages longer than the previous one and is structured a little differently, so navigating it is taking some getting used to. The University of Chicago Press does have a summary of changes between the 15th and 16th editions, so that helps longtime users of the 15th edition.
This edition reflects trends in publishing: sections on website publishing and electronic publishing have been expanded, while the focus on proofs, bluelines, and F&Gs has been reduced.
Illustrations and tables are combined into a single chapter near the front of the book in the 16th edition. Again, there is increased attention to scans and various electronic formats for images, as well as suggestions for web-based publication of images and tables.
Chapters 5 through 9 are still largely intact, although the useful hyphenation guide that comprises section 7.90 in the 15th edition has been changed to a pretty table, section 7.85, in the 16th edition. The table is a return to the table 6.1 format in the old 14th edition and makes for quicker reference once you get used to it.
The documentation section, chapters 14 and 15, is not substantively different except for more (helpful) rules about citing electronic books and journals, websites and blogs, databases, and multimedia materials.
Perhaps the most useful section is Appendix A, “Production and Digital Technology,” which lays out general principles and a section titled “The Electronic Workflow.”
This 16th edition is an improvement over the previous edition in its appearance as well as its utility. It’s well worth the investment for anyone who writes, edits, or designs technical and scholarly works.
Kudos to the advisory board and Russell David Harper, the principal reviser, for going all the way back to the 14th edition to improve certain aspects of this edition.
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