The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers (14th Edition) [Hardcover]

Chicago Editorial Staff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993 | ISBN-10: 0226103897 | ISBN-13: 978-0226103891 | Edition: Fourteenth Edition

The 14th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has now been superseded by the 15th edition. See below for a link to the new edition. The ISBN of the new 15th edition is 0-226-10403-6.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What can we say? This weighty tome is the essential reference for all who work with words--writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, publishers, and students. Discover who Ibid is, how to deftly avoid the split infinitive, and how to format your manuscripts to impress any professor or editor (no, putting it in a blue plastic folder is just not enough).

From Library Journal

The Chicago Manual of Style has long had a well-deserved reputation as the most important guide for preparing and editing book manuscripts for publication. However, is this 14th edition different enough from the 13th ( LJ 11/1/82) to justify its purchase? The "thoroughly revised" and up-to-date chapter on edition: e.g., Cindex and MACREX replace KWIC as examples of automated indexing tools. The glossary of technical terms has dropped some terms but has also added many more: e.g., ASCII , comb binding , and notch binding. In addition, the editors can be justifiably proud of the significantly revised and improved section on documentation. The organization and examples here are better and the layout makes skimming easier. Significant changes are easy to find: the 13th edition permitted replacing authors' initials with their full names, while the 14th suggests that the exact opposite is sometimes preferred. Ultimately, the 14th edition is different enough from (and some 200 pages longer than) the 13th that it should be acquired by all libraries not suffering serious budgetary shortages.
- Peter Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mich.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 933 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; Fourteenth Edition edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226103897
• ISBN-13: 978-0226103891
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Computers & Technology > Graphic Design > Printing
  • #14 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Publishing & Books > Book Industry
  • #32 in Books > Medical Books > Research

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

206 of 211 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The standard February 20, 2000

By Kate

Format:Hardcover

Despite the complaints, despite its exhaustive nature, despite the nitty-gritty approach, The Chicago Manual of Style is THE standard in the book publishing industry. Even when you make exceptions to a rule described in Chicago, you reference the book itself.

That being said, know your area of writing. If you are writing for a newspaper or magazine, for example, use the AP manual. If you are writing a term paper or thesis, know your professor's bias. There many elements of grammar and punctuation that are stylistic elements, for example the serial comma. Chicago recommends using the serial comma, but in a journalistic article this is considered inappropriate.

Chicago is exhaustive in nature, but as a copyeditor, I find it extremely useful. Use what you need, and don't worry about the rest.

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The must-have book for professionals and college students November 7, 2002

By Debbie Lee Wesselmann TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE is one of those books that no professional - writer, publisher, scientist, lawyer, teacher - should be without. At nearly 900 pages, it covers almost any writing issue you can imagine, from the huge range of different requirements for citations to pluralizing foreign words to dealing with mathematics in type. Of course, the more common problems of spelling, grammar, and punctuation are discussed exhaustively as well. Divided into three parts (Bookmaking, Style, and Production and Printing), the target readership is without doubt those in the book trade; however, the style section is by far the largest and most useful for the average person.

My only problem with this volume is accessibility. It's not always easy to find the section dealing with a particular problem. For example, you may have to wade through several pages before you can determine which version of a citation is correct for your situation. Despite this difficulty, I cannot deduct a star from my rating since no other book compares in scope and accuracy when it comes to the mechanics of writing.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who writes articles, technical papers, or books as part of his or her profession. College students should consider buying it as a reference tool that will never steer them wrong.

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Centerpiece to any Great Reference Collection April 10, 2002

By loce_the_wizard VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

If I somehow found myself in a scenario where I was coerced to operate a grammar hotline but restricted to having a single reference at my disposal, then the Chicago Manual of Style would be my weapon of choice. This venerable, thorough guide to editing and writing may be getting a bit dated, yet it remains an indispensable reference for serious editors and writers in nearly all disciplines.

Two main attributes---its organization and its completeness---make this reference so valuable. For example, chapter 5, a treatise on the pleasure and pain of punctuation, starts with the various forms of terminal punctuation before moving into a substantial discussion on the comma (there are more than 20 subpoints discussed on the uses of the comma) and concluding with a roundup of the remaining commonly used marks of punctuation. It's easy to find out the distinction between, say an en-dash and an em-dash, or get a definitive answer about why we need to include serial commas (despite the outdated advice offered by the badly out-of-step AP Style Manual).

The advice about names and terms found in chapter 7 seems daunting at first, but the presentation is, again, so well-organized and complete, that, after some study, you will start catching all the errors that make their way into too much printed material these days. The advice here about when to capitalize words such as "federal," "government," or "state" trumps the misleading, confusing dictums of other outmoded texts such as the United States Government Printing Office Style Manual.

One more example of why the Chicago Manual of Style is a beacon of calm authority can be found in the common sense approach to the difficult issue of being consistent in the use of numbers.... Nothing drives me crazier than fighting with a manager, copy editor, or researcher about the use of numbers. Here the emphasis is on laying on the general principles not as absolute rules but as guidelines followed by a generous overview about the myriad exception and variations to these principles. Numerous examples cover virtually all the situations one might encounter.

Any new copy editor worth his or her salt will have highlighted practically the whole second chapter on copyediting; veterans will return here frequently, too. Both will likely have, at some point, thumb tacked or taped a photocopy of Figure 3.1 Proofreaders' Marks within easy viewing distance.

Detailed discussions about references and bibliographies, indexing, marking manuscripts, and copyright law (though this is one place where the book is beginning to show its age, for the impact of the Internet on copyright matters was not foreseen when this book was published) round out this reference. Sections on foreign languages, scientific terms, and mathematics in type illustrate further why this book anchors the writer-editor's reference collection.

I eagerly wait for the 15th edition to be published. Read more ›

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential text, but not for everyone October 15, 1998

By Tom Shreve ([e-mail])

Format:Hardcover

This is an essential text for writers who write for publication. While it has a great amount of grammar and style content, it also a bunch of technical content of interest primarily to professional authors (e.g., the proper way to number pages in a book).

If you are a student or business writer, you may be better served by a usage guide such as Follet's Modern American Usage, Elements of Style by Stunk and White, etc.

34 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, I Hate This Book, but.... June 8, 2001

By A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

I hate this book. Can I say it clearer? Following its detailed formatting for bibliographies... UGH!... But I need it. I don't like that either. What can I say? It is making me a better writer, and assisting me in my ability to pursuade publications to print my work. It helps me earn money.

Like the Associated Press book, it is an absolute requirement for any writer serious about presenting his work professionally and with a consistent style.

More academic publications require Chicago. More journalistic publications require AP. See? You need them both. In fact, you'll need several other style manuals if you make a living (or intend to) as a writer and/or editor. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. (Look... I used Chicago already... notice the use of commas in a series!)

Buy this book. Hate it, but in an appreciated way.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl