Eats, Shoots & Leaves

A bona fide publishing phenomenon, Lynne Trussas now classic #1 "New York Times" bestseller "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" makes its paperback debut after selling over 3 million copies worldwide in hardcover. We all know the basics of punctuation. Or do we? A look at most neighborhood signage tells a different story. Through sloppy usage and low standards on the Internet, in e-mail, and now text messages, we have made proper punctuation an endangered species. In "Eats, Shoots and Leaves," former editor Truss dares to say, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. This is a book for people who love punctuation and get upset when it is mishandled. From the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, this lively history makes a powerful case for the preservation of a system of printing conventions that is much too subtle to be mucked about with. BACKCOVER: Praise for Lynne Truss and "Eats, Shoots and Leaves": "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" amakes correct usage so cool that you have to admire Ms. Truss.a aJanet Maslin, "The New York Times" aWitty, smart, passionate.a a"Los Angeles Times Book Review," Best Books Of 2004: Nonfiction aWho knew grammar could be so much fun?a a"Newsweek" aWitty and instructive. . . . Truss is an entertaining, well-read scold in a culture that could use more scolding.a a"USA Today" aTruss is William Safire crossed with John Cleeseas Basil Fawlty.a a"Entertainment Weekly" aLynne Truss has done the English-speaking world a huge service.a a"The Christian Science Monitor" aThis book changed my life in small, perfect ways like learning how to make better coffee or fold an omelet. Itas the perfect gift for anyone who cares about grammar and a gentle introduction for those who donat care enough.a a"The Boston Sunday Globe" aLynne Truss makes punctuation] a joy to contemplate.a a"Elle" aIf Lynne Truss were Roman Catholic Iad nominate her for sainthood.a aFrank McCourt, author of "Angelaas Ashes" aTrussas scholarship is impressive and never dry.a aEdmund Morris, "The New York Times Book Review"