Eats, Shoots & Leaves - The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Reviewed by Dirk Manuel MISTC and Tony Seaton BSc MISTC
Introduction
Eats, Shoots & Leaves has achieved 'celebrity' status in the world of popular books, such that even people not who are hardly aware of the existence of rules of punctuation now
know that rules matter. Since the subject matter is close to the technical communicator's heart, we asked two ISTC members to review Lynne Truss’s book for Communicator.
Dirk’s perspective
This book has been quite the runaway success in the literary world — and that's the entire literary world, not just the small portion of it that actually writes for a living. The book has topped best-seller lists in both Britain and the United States, and to date has sold in excess of two million copies. There really can't be two million people who care enough about punctuation to buy a book on it so there must be more to it than this.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves is first and foremost a book about punctuation — it is subtitled The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation — and largely lives up to this. It is a relatively small book — 200 A5-size pages — and only really covers the basics of punctuation. There are sections on the apostrophe, comma, semicolon, dashes and hyphens, plus a quick section on a smattering of other commonly and uncommonly used symbols. Each section provides rules on usage, general guidelines, and a healthy peppering of examples.
This much is also provided by any
number of other books on punctuation, many of which also cover grammar and writing style into the bargain. But where Eats, Shoots & Leaves gains the edge is that it is also a thoroughly enjoyable read in its own right. This is not to say that it is a 'dumbed-down'
or 'populist' work — it remains a worthy reference work for all manner of writers. But it does handle a rather dry subject matter with a much-needed dollop of levity.
So what is it that makes this book
such an enjoyable read? Quite likely
it is because Ms Truss has woven a
much-appreciated vein of — often self-deprecating
— humour throughout the
book. From the irreverent examples
to the unabashed anecdotes from her
personal experiences, there is much to
smile at (and on occasion even laugh
out loud at). It is also a very British book
(which makes its Stateside success all
the more puzzling). With references to
such Anglocentric things as Opal Fruits,
Windsor Safari Park and Not The Nine
O'Clock News, most British readers will
find it a comforting read.
If you already own a good book on
punctuation (or think you know all
there is to know already), should you
buy this book? Quite possibly: if you
do, you may find that you read it at
least twice — once when you first get it
home, and then once more to absorb
the punctuation rules that you missed
in your initial, excited rush through
it. After that, you'll probably still find
yourself dipping into it to answer the
occasional 'Now what did Truss say
about...' question, but even then you'll
probably find yourself still reading it
long after you found the answer for
which you were looking.
Tony’s perspective
My brief for this review read: '… please
review the book from the perspective
of its potential usefulness to the
technical communicator' — which
seems not unreasonable given the
ISTC's raison d'être. So I donned my
author's cap, followed by my training
hat — my virtual mortar-board,
one might say— and asked myself: 'Usefulness as a learning tool, or as
a reference text?' Here my answers
diverged a little.
As a learning tool
As an entertaining learning tool,
the book proves very worthwhile.
Truss elaborates well, explaining the
derivation and rules of punctuation, syntax and editing symbols, using
examples to which the reader can
relate, and injecting her own, inimitable
sense of humour.
Her approach stands well on the
tripod of her career with the London
Times: a mix of dry wit, literary
precision, and understanding of
the editorial mechanics of a leading
newspaper. Her eloquent readability
brings the subject to life. In this regard,
her ability to keep the reader interested
serves her well. However, I feel that
some of the references to editorial
symbols might have benefited from
visual examples; I was reminded of the
old adage that one picture is worth ten
thousand words.
As a reference text
Here my enthusiasm wanes a little.
While the content of this book is
very sound, and it makes both an
excellent read and an informative
teaching and learning tool, I find it
less attractive as a reference tool. My
principal complaint here is that the
book lacks any form of index. In this
regard, it contrasts poorly with Nicky
Stanton's rather more imaginatively
presented, academic work Mastering
Communication (Macmillan). Where
Truss wins on entertainment value and
enticing the reader to stay, Stanton
offers the facility to make a quick
reference, without losing track of the
piece the reader is trying to produce.
Similarly, the thoroughness and
indexing afforded by Gowers in The
Complete Plain Words (Penguin) make
it, too, a preferable reference tool.
I like Eats, Shoots & Leaves a
great deal. It has surely earned
its deserved acclaim. In it, Truss
presents a potentially dry subject in
an entertaining, engaging manner. It
has a home on the bookcase in my
study alongside various anthologies
of poetry and essays to which I turn
when in need of inspiration. It has not,
however, replaced Stanton or Gowers
on the shelf of reference texts to my
immediate left as I sit at my desk!
Lynne Truss
Lynne Truss is a writer and broadcaster,
who is the author of three novels and
numerous comedy dramas. She now
reviews books for The Sunday Times and
broadcasts regularly on Radio 4.
Book review manager: Linda Robins
E-mail:
Publisher: Profile Books, ISBN: 1 86197 6127, 209 pages.
Hardback 2003, £9.99. Paperback 2005, £7.99. 'Book of the Year 2004'
|
