Kurt Vonnegut called the semicolon a “transvestite hermaphrodite representing absolutely nothing.” He was wrong, James Harbeck says. Among the latest shocking news in the world of lexicography is that “tl;dr”…Continue readingIn defense of the semicolon
In yesterday’s blog salad (what I call the blogs I fill with short linked items that interest me), I had something from the Edinburgh book festival about authors’ favorite words.…Continue readingMy favorite word? I can only pick ONE?
A video alphabet: At the Edinburgh international book festival, The Guardian has been asking writers such as Alasdair Gray, Neil Gaiman and Ruby Wax to come up with their favorite…Continue readingAuthors’ favorite words
…on the edge of a book Colleen Theisen at the University of Iowa has shared an amazing gif she made that demonstrates something called fore-edge painting on the edge of…Continue readingHiding a painting in plain sight…
…especially if they’re first editions. This suggestion from BuzzFeed gladdens my heart — give the happy couple a book, specifically a signed first edition of one of their favorites. However,…Continue readingBooks Make Great Wedding Gifts…
When SF writer Isaac Asimov visited the New York World’s Fair of 1964, he pondered “What will life be like, say, in 2014 A.D., 50 years from now? What will…Continue readingWhat Asimov got right — and wrong
Adam Gopnik has some interesting thoughts on the subject. Here is his conclusion: Why should English majors exist? Well, there really are no whys to such things, anymore than there…Continue readingWhy Teach English?
Muphry’s Law is the editorial application of Murphy’s Law. It dictates that: (a) if you write anything criticizing editing or proofreading, there will be a fault of some kind in…Continue readingWriters: Beware Muphry’s Law
Chinese subway riders using Shanghai’s Metro Line 2 will soon have their own unofficial library. Pick up a book at one station, drop it off at any other. The project…Continue readingA subway-only library for commuters
100 percent off stores, of course. In Baltimore, Portland, San Francisco, and other cities scattered across the United States and Europe, free stores are a practical protest of consumer culture.…Continue readingWhat’s better than a thrift store?