Shady Characters by Keith Houston is, simply put, a
fun read. Short and succinct, the 244 pages ensures that no section feels “too
long”, nor did I ever feel “bogged down” in historical details or highly technical
writing. Houston’s writing style is playful and easy to follow along, apt for a
title as intriguing as Shady Characters.
¶ The book covers
punctuation in a way that most of us non-linguaphiles, have never seen—or even
thought of—before. Each section/chapter covers a different “shady character” of
a punctuation mark and, quite literally, marks its history and use through
time. And there is a surprising amount of rises and falls equated with each
symbol. Who knew the world of typography could be so dramatic‽
¶ There are a few symbols
that you likely haven’t heard of also covered in the book, showing a modern example
of how punctuation marks can fade into obscurity. It’s a reminder that the punctuation
we use today with reckless abandon* hasn’t always been this way and there are symbols
we’ll see the death of if they aren’t used.
¶ Another notable feature of
the Houston’s writing style is the way he incorporates the punctuation mark in
the section that describes that symbol. Not only does this bring to the
forefront the topic at ☛hand, it also serves to showcase how the character itself is
used.
¶ Overall, I would highly recommend
this book to someone looking to foray into the world of typography. I feel like
this is a great introduction to the subject and Houston himself offers additional
reading options if this interests you enough to peruse further.
If you’re interested in any of the punctuation
I’ve used in this review then read Shady Characters to find out how they came
to be, and how they might have faded out!
Thank you for reading! Please leave your
thoughts and reviews in the comments! Follow me @sneakersnshakesⴕ
on Instagram!
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*For some of us, maybe not so much.
ⴕYes, both of the symbols in the
sentence make appearance in the book.
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