Wednesday, 3 December 2014

Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks

Shady Charactersby Keith Houston

Nothing could sound more boring than a book about the question mark and that weird paragraph symbol (It's got an actual name, this symbol. It's called a pilcrow and it looks like this: )  But it's actually oddly interesting.  This is almost a history of publishing as much as the stories of the symbols themselves.  Each chapter generally stands alone, telling the history of a given symbol, but put all together, you learn the whys and wherefores of our weird keyboards, why given symbols despite years of disuse, still exist.

And, perhaps for the internet generation, we can finally agree on what to call this: #.

4 comments:

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    Shadowy Characters is a captivating exploration of punctuation marks, offering a fresh perspective on their roles and history. The author skillfully delves into the secret lives of typographical characters, weaving together history, linguistics, and culture. The book is a must-read for anyone intrigued by typography and punctuation, offering a treasure trove of typographical insights and a newfound appreciation for punctuation marks.

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  2. Nothing could sound more exhausting than a book about the question mark and that unusual section image (It has a real name, this image. It's known as a pilcrow and it seems to be this: ¶) Yet it's very intriguing. This is very nearly a background marked by distributing as much as the narratives of the actual images. Every part by and large remains solitary, telling the historical backdrop of a given image, yet set up all, you gain proficiency with the whys and wherefores of our peculiar consoles, why given images regardless of long periods of neglect, actually exist.car accident lawyer in charlottesville

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  3. Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston is a fascinating PolyTrack exploration of the seemingly mundane symbols that shape our writing.

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