Comments on: The Deciders http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/ The blog of Marcia Merryman-Means Sat, 19 May 2012 02:20:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: marcia http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-172 marcia Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:51:49 +0000 http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-172 Oddly, I could not click through on your link. It produced the message "Page not found." But navigating through the Press's site, I did find "Significant Rule Changes," which indeed is at the address you gave. Let me truncate the URL and see whether that helps: http://bit.ly/fEOqny. Oddly, I could not click through on your link. It produced the message “Page not found.” But navigating through the Press’s site, I did find “Significant Rule Changes,” which indeed is at the address you gave. Let me truncate the URL and see whether that helps: http://bit.ly/fEOqny.

]]> By: Brenda Griffing http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-170 Brenda Griffing Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:50:27 +0000 http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-170 I bought CMS 16 last year to bring an Amazon order into free-shipping range, ignored it for six months, and have been asked to use it once. Physically, it's a bit easier to read than the detestable 15/e, and the index seems to be moderately user friendlier. But I was not about to comb through it, old book to hand, for the sake of determining what random acts of arbitrariness would be revealed. Help was forthcoming, however. Incomprehensibly, the publisher has undercut its own sales by publishing a cheat sheet listing major changes, which include the ones Marcia mentioned. To avoid a burdensome search & compare mission, see http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/about16_rules.html. I'm betting that most MEs have quietly decided to stick with the CMS 15 conventions, perhaps supplemented by the "About 16" rules. There's a limit to the amount of time a publisher can oblige its freelancers to waste in the service of the bottom line of the University of Chicago Press. I bought CMS 16 last year to bring an Amazon order into free-shipping range, ignored it for six months, and have been asked to use it once. Physically, it’s a bit easier to read than the detestable 15/e, and the index seems to be moderately user friendlier. But I was not about to comb through it, old book to hand, for the sake of determining what random acts of arbitrariness would be revealed.

Help was forthcoming, however. Incomprehensibly, the publisher has undercut its own sales by publishing a cheat sheet listing major changes, which include the ones Marcia mentioned. To avoid a burdensome search & compare mission, see http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/about16_rules.html.

I’m betting that most MEs have quietly decided to stick with the CMS 15 conventions, perhaps supplemented by the “About 16″ rules. There’s a limit to the amount of time a publisher can oblige its freelancers to waste in the service of the bottom line of the University of Chicago Press.

]]> By: marcia http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-161 marcia Thu, 24 Feb 2011 13:13:24 +0000 http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-161 I started my life in editing when CMOS was 13. It indeed has its uses. But I tire of updated editions that offer changes such as those I named. They seem arbitrary--or else geared to force us to buy the book and relearn the rules. I don't argue when sections are added that address evolving issues. But why was it once correct to write "Illinois and Chicago rivers" and now it is not? CMOS 15 garnered a whole heck of a lot of criticism among copy editors--not least for its impossible-to-read design. I will await the verdict from the masses. In the meantime, at Schlager Group, I am the decider. ;-) I started my life in editing when CMOS was 13. It indeed has its uses. But I tire of updated editions that offer changes such as those I named. They seem arbitrary–or else geared to force us to buy the book and relearn the rules. I don’t argue when sections are added that address evolving issues. But why was it once correct to write “Illinois and Chicago rivers” and now it is not? CMOS 15 garnered a whole heck of a lot of criticism among copy editors–not least for its impossible-to-read design. I will await the verdict from the masses. In the meantime, at Schlager Group, I am the decider. ;-)

]]> By: charles abbott http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-160 charles abbott Thu, 24 Feb 2011 02:17:08 +0000 http://malblog.schlagergroup.com/2011/02/23/the-deciders/#comment-160 Marcia, so nice to have you back! CMOS is nice. There was something about the new one--it was a link on aldaily.com it must have been this: http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/017_04/6675 = - = - = - = - = for many of us, we got into CMOS through Turabian, which was the sort of "gateway book." but enough about CMOS--it's just so nice to see that you blog is continuing! Marcia, so nice to have you back!

CMOS is nice. There was something about the new one–it was a link on aldaily.com

it must have been this:

http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/017_04/6675

= - = - = - = - =

for many of us, we got into CMOS through Turabian, which was the sort of “gateway book.”

but enough about CMOS–it’s just so nice to see that you blog is continuing!

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