About the Author

Lynne Truss is a writer and journalist who started out as a literary editor with a blue pencil and then got sidetracked. The author of three novels and numerous radio comedy dramas, she spent six years as the television critic of The Times of London, followed by four (rather peculiar) years as a sports columnist for the same newspaper. She won Columnist of the Year for her work for Women’s Journal. Lynne Truss also hosted Cutting a Dash, a popular BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation. She now reviews books for the Sunday Times of London and is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4. She lives in Brighton, England.

Reviews

“You don’t need to be a grammar nerd to enjoy this one… Who knew grammar could be so much fun?” —Newsweek

“Witty and instructive… Truss is an entertaining, well-read scold in a culture that could use more scolding.” —USA Today

“Truss is William Safire crossed with John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Witty, smart, passionate, it gives long-overdue attention to ‘the traffic signals of language.’”—John Rechy, Los Angeles Times Book Review “Best Books of 2004: Nonfiction”

“Truss’s scholarship is impressive and never dry.” —Edmund Morris, The New York Times

“[Truss is] a reformer with the soul of a stand-up comedian.” —Boston Globe

“ This book changed my life in small, perfect ways like learning how to make better coffee or fold an omelet. It’s the perfect gift of anyone who cares about grammar and a gentle introduction for those who don’t care enough.” —Boston Sunday Globe

“Lynne Truss makes [punctuation] a joy to contemplate.” —Elle Magazine

“A witty look at the amusing foibles of punctuation.” —Reader’s Digest

“Lynne Truss has done the English-speaking world a huge service.” —The Christian Science Monitor

“Witty and playful.” —Time Out New York

Who would have thought a book about punctuation could cause such a sensation? Certainly not its modest if indignant author, who began her surprise hit motivated by "horror" and "despair" at the current state of British usage: ungrammatical signs ("BOB,S PETS"), headlines ("DEAD SONS PHOTOS MAY BE RELEASED") and band names ("Hear'Say") drove journalist and novelist Truss absolutely batty. But this spirited and wittily instructional little volume, which was a U.K. #1 bestseller, is not a grammar book, Truss insists; like a self-help volume, it "gives you permission to love punctuation." Her approach falls between the descriptive and prescriptive schools of grammar study, but is closer, perhaps, to the latter. (A self-professed "stickler," Truss recommends that anyone putting an apostrophe in a possessive "its"-as in "the dog chewed it's bone"-should be struck by lightning and chopped to bits.) Employing a chatty tone that ranges from pleasant rant to gentle lecture to bemused dismay, Truss dissects common errors that grammar mavens have long deplored (often, as she readily points out, in isolation) and makes elegant arguments for increased attention to punctuation correctness: "without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning." Interspersing her lessons with bits of history (the apostrophe dates from the 16th century; the first semicolon appeared in 1494) and plenty of wit, Truss serves up delightful, unabashedly strict and sometimes snobby little book, with cheery Britishisms ("Lawks-a-mussy!") dotting pages that express a more international righteous indignation. Agent, George Lucas. (On sale Apr. 13) Forecast: With 600,000 copies of the Profile Books edition in print (up from an original print run of 15,000 in November 2003), it's obvious that Truss's book has struck a nerve. Her volume may not reach such dizzying heights here-perhaps in part due to timing (there can't be Christmas runs in April)-but it'll make a lot of Stateside sticklers very, very happy. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves "makes correct usage so cool that you have to admire Ms. Truss."-Janet Maslin, The New York Times "Witty, smart, passionate."-Los Angeles Times Book Review, Best Books Of 2004: Nonfiction "This book changed my life in small, perfect ways like learning how to make better coffee or fold an omelet. It's the perfect gift for anyone who cares about grammar and a gentle introduction for those who don't care enough."-The Boston Sunday Globe