3/15/22

One of my professors once told me that this was the "bible for historians," and for anyone in the humanities in general, it is indispensable. It is at once a style guide, a sort of thesaurus, and a manual for writing term papers, theses, dissertations, and books. Sure, Turabian distills this book (and the sin of the latest Turabian is that in a misguided attempt to appeal to more people, they've added a parenthetical reference system to the footnote system she popularized), but sometimes you must turn to the Chicago for more information.

As a historian who works on maps, I am still angry that Chicago does not treat them as a source, just illustrations. (Which means Turabian denigrates them, but at least mentions them, and says to put them in quotes, like an article, instead of italics, like a book.) But, I digress. After a few hours of browsing through this book I think it is a good update, more examples, more citations from internet sources, etc. ( )

I love this book. First, I just browsed a bit, and as a language lover, I found every page interesting. Then, I put it to the test. Does it tell you not to split an infinitive? NO! Of course not. English isn't Latin, and furthermore, it gives great examples of when you must split an infinitive for your sentence to make sense. The same holds for the ridiculous rule of not putting a preposition at the end of a sentence. Great advice there as well. I now feel confident turning to this book for tricky questions of grammar and punctuation, or just to pass away a few minutes reading it for enjoyment. So far, the lengthy index has made what I was looking for easy to find. ( )

Excellent manual.

There is not much to say about this book's content, since it's more of a reference. Nevertheless, it is well-formatted and easy to find what you're looking for. The digital version is likely more useful when doing digital work, but this is extremely helpful nevertheless. ( )

A classic. The bible of style guides. ( )

The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. You cannot write or publish professionally if you don't have one of these. The best writers in the world still consult one of these things on occasion. Despise stylebooks, refuse to use them and poke fun at those who do? The world will never hear of you. ( )

The Chicago Manual of Style: Seventeenth Edition presents the current formatting and citation style used in history writing. While much of the material has appeared elsewhere online, specifically the citation guidelines, the book itself is a necessary resource for all who study and write history as it includes, perhaps most importantly, William S. Strong’s guide to rights, permissions, and copyright administration – an invaluable resource in a time when an increasing amount of scholarship occurs online in formats of nebulous official copyright. Other guides include those focusing on grammar, which helps to answer questions about the usage of “a” and “an,” particularly as they relate to new shorthands and terms of the digital age. Overall, this is a must-read for all who seek to write history. ( )

One of my professors once told me that this was the "bible for historians," and for anyone in the humanities in general, it is indispensable. It is at once a style guide, a sort of thesaurus, and a manual for writing term papers, theses, dissertations, and books. Sure, Turabian distills this book (and the sin of the latest Turabian is that in a misguided attempt to appeal to more people, they've added a parenthetical reference system to the footnote system she popularized), but sometimes you must turn to the Chicago for more information.

As a historian who works on maps, I am still angry that Chicago does not treat them as a source, just illustrations. (Which means Turabian denigrates them, but at least mentions them, and says to put them in quotes, like an article, instead of italics, like a book.) But, I digress. After a few hours of browsing through this book I think it is a good update, more examples, more citations from internet sources, etc. ( )

About 1/3 of the book is great for citations. The rest is relatively useless since comma efficacy is not a great concern among the same population which is purchasing this book. ( )

The utility of this reference book is dubious given the proliferation of online citation guides, but then may I haven't been require to write many papers requiring Chicago style.

The most comprehensive and authoritative English grammar manual available. It's for work, not for fun :) ( )

I left India in August of 1987, having lived there for four years. It was two weeks from the end of my Embassy assignment, and the only task left was to create an index for a celebratory coffee-table book on Indo-US relations. The manuscript was finally complete and I had convinced my colleagues that it needed an index. That meant I was “selected” to index the 120 page book. I had never indexed anything in my life, but as a librarian, I felt it would not be that hard, and besides, the computer people promised me they would give me a print-out of all the key terms in the book. My family had departed for the States, my former house now occupied by my replacement, and I had a room in a hotel. All I had to do was complete an index, and then join my family. It took me several hours of mucking about with the print-out to realize it was not useful in indexing. The USIS library there had a Chicago Manual of Style and I have never been so thankful in my life for its step-by-step advice on how to index a book. In those days, it was all done with handwritten terms on cards. The indexing chapter was spectacularly didactic, with illustrations and step-by-step commands. From dawn to late at night, I worked my way through the manuscript, and 60-some hours later, presented my boss with my first index. The book was printed, my boss gave the book to his boss, the Ambassador (who had dreamed up the idea) and the Ambassador gave the book to his friends in the Indian government. I flew home. ( )

Considerando il formato, questo libro sarà circa dieci volte più grande del vecchio Hart’s Rules, il che significa che è piuttosto completo, ma anche che contiene molto che serve solo al revisore e non al traduttore. Questo è un classico (la prima edizione risale al 1906) ed è un’opera grandiosa, ma direi che per un uso generale non c’è vantaggio ad avere sia l’Oxford che il Chicago, dato che dicono spesso la stessa cosa. Però, è chiaro che se ti basi su uno e poi ti chiedono di scrivere nello stile dell’altro (ad esempio, il britannico che fa un lavoro per un editore americano), allora devi averli entrambi. Il problema è che ti trovi a dover leggere tutto per capire dove sono le differenze. Anche se l’Oxford ha una piccola ma buona sezione su queste differenze, il Chicago mi sembra leggermente più generoso nell’indicare l’uso dell’altro: per esempio, ti dice che Mr. e Mrs. in AmE diventano Mr e Mrs senza i punti in BrE mentre l’Oxford è meno esplicito in merito. Allo stesso tempo non ti dirà, per esempio, che mentre per BrE “color” è un americanismo accettabile, “analyze” è un orrore ignorante della propria etimologia, non ti dirà che mentre in AmE si scrive “the Economist”, in BrE si indica “The Economist”… Certo, non c’è motivo per cui dovrebbe dare questo tipo di informazione - ma è un peccato per noi traduttori. L’unica obbiezione che ho io contro il Chicago è che, soprattutto in questa 15a edizione, credo cerchi di essere un po’ troppe cose: il capitolo di grammatica AmE e quello di “word usage” mi sembrano insufficienti – avrei preferito avere tre libri diversi: ovvero, style guide, dizionario per scrittori e grammatica per scrittori. Rispetto al MLA Style Manual e ad altri, come quelli del New York Times e del Washington Post, il Chicago viene generalmente considerato il più autorevole per chi scrive in inglese americano.
Segnalato da Simon Turner ( )

The Chicago Manual of style, or at least, the third edition, has several aspects to it. The major aspect is the titular aspect. That is to say: style.

Punctuation, justification, everythingification, you name it! If it involves putting words on a page aesthetically, the Manual's got you covered.

Another aspect of the CMS is its handy use as a reference guide, particularly to the likes of copy editors, and other who may find themselves doing copy editing, but unwilling to actually call themselves "copy editors."

Further, the third edition (I am unaware if this is still the case) has several textual samples of different styles, so you have a better idea of how things look on a page.

If you're going to be a writer, especially if you're doing WYSIWYG-style editing, or if you're going to do editing of any kind, I recommend at least getting ONE style guide. If you're gung-ho, though, get a bunch, and make sure that CMS is one of those bunch. ( )

Oh Chicago Manual, I love the robust narratological power of your footnote-based citation method, but I hate the way you try to be a copyeditor's handbook and publishing guide too, because it makes it way worse to find what I need. Also, too many clickthroughs. And title pages blow on papers. And, paid content? Seriously? Still, you are as far as I know the only one of your kind, and certainly your absence would be missed more than that of either of MLA or APA (but not both). ( )

Painfully expensive at $55, but the authoritative text on punctuation, type, and about a thousand other nit picky details. It’s an indispensible reference volume for OCD novice authors like me. ( )

The audience for this particular reference is given in the volume’s subtitle. The Chicago Manual of Style provides a reference source for writers, editors and publishers. In fact, the Manual calls itself the “essential reference for all who work with words” (dust jacket). The fourteenth edition claims to be easier to use than its predecessors due to several changes intended to make the text more systematic, inclusive, reflective of contemporary usage, and accessible. Among these changes is the inclusion of a greater number and variety of examples. Major revisions include the recognition of the major role computers now play in the publishing industry and the chapters on documentation. The documentation chapters have been streamlined to make them easier for readers to use. In addition to rule revisions, the Manual has extended its section on the parts of the book, recognizing its increased use as a publishing reference. While the volume begins with a comprehensive table of contents, each chapter has its own table of contents. The book is organized by topic and rules are found in the tables of contents and index not by page number but by section and paragraph number (ie.13.6). The Chicago Manual of Style also provides users with guide words, a glossary of technical terms, bibliography, and an extensive index with cross-references to aid in the access of information.

If you work with words, this is a reference book you must own. If you work with words on a computer, The CD-ROM version of the 15th edition is a must.

Publishing has changed dramatically and the Manual has changed with it. The editors promise that every aspect of their coverage has been examined and updated. In addition to books, the Manual also provides guidelines for journals and electronic publications.

The CD-ROM version, I am told, is great. Searches are easy.

Updated approximately once a decade, the 15th edition is the most significant revision I can remember.There is a new chapter on American Grammar usage and usage. Design and manufacturing coverage has been streamlined to reflect current procedures.

If you are looking for clear, concise advice, the 15th edition is reference stylebook on CD-ROM is for you.

Penned by the Pointed Pundit
March 19, 2008
3:14:32 PM ( )

Edith Royce's original style guide for her typing and secretarial work. An original vintage piece. ( )

An indispensable, enjoyable reference that is never far from my desk. It's authoritative and even rather funny in spots. Can you really be a good editor without it? I doubt it! ( )

I chose this as my standard style reference. They have an interesting online option now but I am not willing to convert something that costs me $0 a yeart to something that costs me $25 a year.

"Chicago" is the editor's Bible. It answers the essential questions concerning grammar, punctuation, and word usage. It is available online at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.

Nicely organized writing manual on the Chicago writing style ( )

Essential tool for academic writers.

Essential to any writer's library. ( )