Punctilious Punctuation

Taking a stand against the abomination that is punctuational minimization, Ian Randal Strock takes a big look at the little marks between words that mean so much. Delving into the genesis and history of punctuation marks (both individually and collectively), he also looks at proposed—and failed—punctuation marks, and suggests new ones. You'll laugh, you'll cringe, you'll sigh with relief. But maybe… just maybe… you'll come away from this book realizing that saving fractions of column inches is no reason to cede the clarity, vibrancy, and artistry of proper punctuation to the legions of language-devaluing, space-saving, text-messaging philistines. Join the fight for proper punctuation! Read Punctilious Punctuation? Publicity: Featured in the Writers & Illustrators of the Future podcast episode #358, posted December 12, 2025. Featured as "The Big Idea" in John Scalzi's Whatever, September 15, 2025. Reviews: I recently enjoyed your book, Punctilious Punctuation, very much. One of the things you didn't mention, however, is that anyone who has ever studied Greek (as I did in my youth) who learns to speak it (as I did in my time in Greece), realizes that the semicolon functions, in Greek, as a question mark. There is no mention of this in your otherwise remarkably thorough treatment of those jots and tittles. —Samuel R. Delany, December 12, 2025 The best joke I've encountered today is from Ian Randal Strock's book Punctilious Punctuation. "Q: What's the difference between a cat and a semicolon? A: One has a pause at the end of its clause and the other has claws at the end of its paws." Best grammar joke of the day, anyhow. —Joe Haldeman, September 29, 2025