Oh Chicago Manual, I love the robust narratological power of your footnote-based citation method, but I hate the way you try to be a copyeditor's handbook and publishing guide too, because it makes it way worse to find what I need. Also, too many clickthroughs. And title pages blow on papers. And, paid content? Seriously? Still, you are as far as I know the only one of your kind, and certainly your absence would be missed more than that of either of MLA or APA (but not both). ( )

If you're making books, you can't live without the latest edition of 'The Chicago Manual of Style.' I don't make books, so I limp along with my 27-year-old 13th edition rather than shuck out the bucks for a new model. ( )

Painfully expensive at $55, but the authoritative text on punctuation, type, and about a thousand other nit picky details. It’s an indispensible reference volume for OCD novice authors like me. ( )

The audience for this particular reference is given in the volume’s subtitle. The Chicago Manual of Style provides a reference source for writers, editors and publishers. In fact, the Manual calls itself the “essential reference for all who work with words” (dust jacket). The fourteenth edition claims to be easier to use than its predecessors due to several changes intended to make the text more systematic, inclusive, reflective of contemporary usage, and accessible. Among these changes is the inclusion of a greater number and variety of examples. Major revisions include the recognition of the major role computers now play in the publishing industry and the chapters on documentation. The documentation chapters have been streamlined to make them easier for readers to use. In addition to rule revisions, the Manual has extended its section on the parts of the book, recognizing its increased use as a publishing reference. While the volume begins with a comprehensive table of contents, each chapter has its own table of contents. The book is organized by topic and rules are found in the tables of contents and index not by page number but by section and paragraph number (ie.13.6). The Chicago Manual of Style also provides users with guide words, a glossary of technical terms, bibliography, and an extensive index with cross-references to aid in the access of information.

If you work with words, this is a reference book you must own. If you work with words on a computer, The CD-ROM version of the 15th edition is a must.

Publishing has changed dramatically and the Manual has changed with it. The editors promise that every aspect of their coverage has been examined and updated. In addition to books, the Manual also provides guidelines for journals and electronic publications.

The CD-ROM version, I am told, is great. Searches are easy.

Updated approximately once a decade, the 15th edition is the most significant revision I can remember.There is a new chapter on American Grammar usage and usage. Design and manufacturing coverage has been streamlined to reflect current procedures.

If you are looking for clear, concise advice, the 15th edition is reference stylebook on CD-ROM is for you.

Penned by the Pointed Pundit
March 19, 2008
3:14:32 PM ( )

An indispensable, enjoyable reference that is never far from my desk. It's authoritative and even rather funny in spots. Can you really be a good editor without it? I doubt it! ( )

I chose this as my standard style reference. They have an interesting online option now but I am not willing to convert something that costs me $0 a yeart to something that costs me $25 a year.

No technical writing library is complete without the Chicago Manual of Style.

"Chicago" is the editor's Bible. It answers the essential questions concerning grammar, punctuation, and word usage. It is available online at www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.

I inherited this one -- an no one so far seems to have an 11th editions, I found only 10th and 12th mostly, and the recent ones.

Nicely organized writing manual on the Chicago writing style ( )

A must have for any serious scholar in history. How to write, howta fix yer grammars (like that?), and cite just about any damn thing you can think of. A bit lacking on internet stuff, but the new 16th edition is supposed to solve all of that. One professor once told me that it was the "Bible for historians." ( )

Essential tool for academic writers.

Essential to any writer's library. ( )

Can't really be an editor (which I am) without this little treasure trove. In the U.S., anyway. ( )

The most comprehensive style manual on the market. Why more publications and instructors don't use it is a mystery to me. Chicago style creates a far more clean, more readable, more streamlined manuscript than the ever-popular MLA manual. If you have a choice, choose Chicago. ( )

When I bought this book in college, I wrote on the inside cover, "Sometimes the Chicago Manual of Style is all that stands between me and the swirling chaos of cluttered thoughts. Please return to..."

And it's still true!

Besides having all the answers for editors who edit for organizations that require Chicago style, this is a tremendously sexy book, with that distinctive hot orange cover and good heft. I just like holding it. ( )

"The rules" for authors -- grammar, punctuation, clunky usage, and avoiding politically incorrect language. This edition is now outdated, so spring for the 15th edition.