Ask Mary Norris, author of the most hilarious book on grammar I’ve ever read: Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen. Among a relatively small group of otherwise mild-mannered professionals who (or is it whom?) dedicate their working lives to upholding the standards of a civilized, literate society (do we need that comma?), Mary Norris does her profession proud and earns extra jewels in her crown for this new book just out from W.W. Norton & Company (should we abbreviate to Co. which wouldn’t look as elegant but would save space, or simply drop the ampersand and following?). For those of us who’ve struggled with the fine points of punctuation, who’ve wondered what really goes on behind the scenes at The New Yorker, this book is your next must-read (to hyphenate, or not?). I’ve switched points-of-view. Is that allowed? It gets complicated. That’s why we need people like Mary Norris holding the line for us. But copy-editing the likes of James Slater, John McPhee and Philip Roth, though, is enough to leave a girl in a sweat. Luckily, reason seems to rule the day, except when one’s inner “word sense” holds sway. For these reasons and more, don’t miss Mary Norris’s appearance at Canio’s Books this summer: Saturday, July 11 at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, keep your pencils sharp and mind your Ps & Qs. (do we need apostrophes?)
Posts Tagged 'James Salter'
What’s So Funny About Appositives?
Published April 28, 2015 Books we love , Memoir , Reading events , Writing Leave a CommentTags: copy edit, grammar, James Salter, John McPhee, Mary Norris, Philip Roth, punctuation, The New Yorker, W.W. Norton
James Salter on the Art and Intimacy of LETTER writing
Published August 22, 2010 Bookselling in the 21st century , Bookstore Lore , Memoir , Novelists , Reading events , Uncategorized , Writing Leave a CommentTags: James Salter, letter writing, memorable days, Robert Phelps
Memorable Days: The Selected Letters of James Salter and Robert Phelps
August 21, 2010
Novelist Robert Phelps described novelist James Salter as a “minority of one; a new herb in the cabinet,” and later wrote that Salter’s letters were like gospel to him. Phelps introduced Salter to the works of a dozen writers crucially important to shaping him as a novelist. Salter says Phelps was one of the most important influences in his life and in whatever he wrote after they met. The correspondence which began with a fan letter from Phelps to Salter spanned decades. The intimacy of the letters continues.
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