{"product_id":"semicolon-the-past-present-and-future-of-a-misunderstood-mark-isbn-9780062853066","title":"Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“Delightful.” —\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMary Norris, \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA page-turning, existential romp through the life and times of the world’s most polarizing punctuation mark\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe semicolon. Stephen King, Hemingway, Vonnegut, and Orwell detest it. Herman Melville, Henry James, and Rebecca Solnit love it. But why? When is it effective? Have we been misusing it? Should we even care?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSemicolon, \u003c\/em\u003eCecelia Watson charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation mark, which for years was the trendiest one in the world of letters. But in the nineteenth century, as grammar books became all the rage, the rules of how we use language became both stricter and more confusing, with the semicolon a prime victim. Taking us on a breezy journey through a range of examples—from Milton’s manuscripts to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letters from Birmingham Jail” to Raymond Chandler’s \u003cem\u003eThe Big Sleep\u003c\/em\u003e—Watson reveals how traditional grammar rules make us less successful at communicating with each other than we’d think. Even the most die-hard grammar fanatics would be better served by tossing the rule books and learning a better way to engage with language.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough her rollicking biography of the semicolon, Watson writes a guide to grammar that explains why we don’t need guides at all, and refocuses our attention on the deepest, most primary value of language: true communication.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSemicolon\u003c\/em\u003e, Cecelia Watson charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation mark, which for years was the trendiest one in the world of letters. But in the nineteenth century, as grammar books became all the rage, the rules of how we use language became both stricter and more confusing, with the semicolon a prime example. Taking us on a lively journey through a range of evidence—from Milton’s manuscripts to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to Raymond Chandler’s \u003cem\u003eThe Big Sleep\u003c\/em\u003e—Watson reveals how traditional grammar rules make us less successful at communicating with each other than we might think. Even the most die-hard grammar fanatics would be better served by tossing the rule books and learning a better way to engage with language.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Informed and witty . . . from chapter to chapter, [Watson] brings a gadfly’s spirit to the proceedings, thoughtfully lobbying for written English that resists restrictions and recognizes that ‘rules will be, just as they always have been, inadequate to form a protective fence around English.’” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Look, some people just enjoy arguing about punctuation. It’s in their nature. But if your enthusiasm for this polarizing little mark stems from adoration and inquisitiveness (and only occasionally the haughty knowledge that you’re right), Cecelia Watson’s “biography” of the semicolon will be a delightful companion.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eElle, “Thirty Best Books to Read This Summer”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this impressive debut, Watson . . . takes readers through a lively and varied ‘biography’ of the semicolon. . . . The stress on compassionate punctuation lifts this work from an entertaining romp to a volume worth serious consideration.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“What? Sit on the beach reading about punctuation? Yes, when it’s as fun, rangy, and witty as this.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhiladelphia Inquirer, “Big Summer Books”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A delightful rabbit hole that I think even those who are not punctuation-obsessed will find eye-opening and strangely reassuring. If you enjoyed Between You \u0026amp; Me, Woe Is I, or Eats, Shoots \u0026amp; Leaves, Semicolon . . . is for you.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Amazon Book Review, “Weekend Reading”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Charming . . . an argument for deep knowledge and style awareness, moving beyond strictures to something educated, intuitive, and graceful.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Journal of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A deceptively playful-looking book that turns out to be a scholarly treatise on a sophisticated device that has contributed eloquence and mystery to Western civilization . . . Delightful.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMary Norris, The New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Charts the rise and fall of the punctuation mark while examining how traditional grammar rules make us less successful at communicating with each other than we might think.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePureWow, “8 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in July”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Brisk, lively, witty, and provocative.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAudiophilie, D.A.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Essential reading . . . Watson asks us to look hard at rules that pretend to be objective and consider their origins and implications; and in doing so, she advocates a skeptical, searching attitude that could usefully be taken toward many aspects of American life beyond grammar.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBoston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An impeccably readable meditation.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Pity the poor semicolon, punctuation’s wallflower, wrongfully maligned and too seldom asked to dance. Fortunately, this modest little powerhouse has found its defender. [Watson] is a witty, elegant writer with no nonsense about her.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Buoyant . . . thought-provoking . . . this little book is something of a page-turner.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSanta Fe New Mexican\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] witty, wily account.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Winsome.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHarper's Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Your inner word nerd will love it.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHello Giggles, “11 Best New Books to Read in July”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“All unloved things have their defenders . . . and the semicolon could not have asked for a better one than historian Cecelia Watson. . . . If anything will convince you of its artistic beauty and historic importance, it will be \u003cem\u003eSemicolon\u003c\/em\u003e.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBabbel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In Cecelia Watson’s hands, what starts as an exploration of the obscure origins of a modest punctuation mark becomes a slyly profound proof of the value of creative freedom itself. Grammar fiends and poetic anarchists alike will find \u003cem\u003eSemicolon\u003c\/em\u003e inspiring, challenging, and delightful.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdrian Johns, Allan Grant Maclear Professor of History, University of Chicago\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Intimidated by the semicolon? Fear not: Cecelia Watson’s sprightly history is the perfect antidote to punctuation pedantry. It’s also a paean to the music of language by a writer with a silver ear.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLorraine Daston, Director of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and Visiting Professor, The Committee on Social Thought, University of Chicago\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Cecelia Watson takes the history and logic of this strange, unbalanced punctuation mark and with an eloquently natural voice transforms them into a work of sane, funny, and humanistic philosophy; [couldn’t resist] it’s superb.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaniel Menaker, author of The African Svelte: Ingenious Misspellings That Make Surprising Sense\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Delightful, enlightening . . . The twisty history of the hybrid divider perfectly embodies the transience of language, the ways it can be shaped by cultural shifts that have nothing to do with correctness or clarity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVulture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Lively . . . Watson covers impressive ground in this short book, skittering back and forth like a sandpiper at the shores of language’s Great Debates. . . fascinating.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ecco","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889683853541,"sku":"NP9780062853066","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062853066.jpg?v=1730231742","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/semicolon-the-past-present-and-future-of-a-misunderstood-mark-isbn-9780062853066","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}