by Keith Houston
From ancient Greece to the Internet—via the Renaissance, Gutenberg, and Madison Avenue—Shady Characters exposes the secret history of punctuation.
Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks
17,00 €
1 in stock
Description
A charming and indispensable tour of two thousand years of the written word, Shady Characters weaves a fascinating trail across the parallel histories of language and typography. Whether investigating the asterisk (*) and dagger (†)–which alternately illuminated and skewered heretical verses of the early Bible–or the at sign (@), which languished in obscurity for centuries until rescued by the Internet, Keith Houston draws on myriad sources to chart the life and times of these enigmatic squiggles, both exotic (¶) and everyday (&).
From the Library of Alexandria to the halls of Bell Labs, figures as diverse as Charlemagne, Vladimir Nabokov, and George W. Bush cross paths with marks as obscure as the interrobang (‽) and as divisive as the dash (–). Ancient Roman graffiti, Venetian trading shorthand, Cold War double agents, and Madison Avenue round out an ever more diverse set of episodes, characters, and artifacts.
Richly illustrated, ranging across time, typographies, and countries, Shady Characters will delight and entertain all who cherish the unpredictable and surprising in the writing life.
Additional information
| Book Condition | New |
|---|---|
| Cover | Paperback |
| Size | Length: 352 pages |
| Genre | Nonfiction, History, Language, Writing |
| Published | October 20, 2014 by W. W. Norton & Company |
Related products
-
-50% Off
Original price was: 7,00 €.3,50 €Current price is: 3,50 €.by Philip Pullman
There are worlds beyond our own – the Compass will show the way.
This is the third novel in Philip Pullman’s epic “His Dark Materials” trilogy. The first, “Northern Lights”, is now the stunning motion picture “The Golden Compass”, made by New Line Cinema and Scholastic Media.
The terrible war foretold by the witches is coming. Will is the bearer of the subtle knife, the most powerful weapon in all the worlds, and must deliver it to Lord Asriel. But he faces his dangerous journey alone, for Lyra has disappeared.
-
6,00 €The Leatherstocking Tales #2
by James Fenimore Cooper‘Death and honour are thought to be the same, but today I have learned that sometimes they are not.’
-
-50% Off
Original price was: 4,00 €.2,00 €Current price is: 2,00 €.Adventures of Tom and Huck #1
by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer revolves around the youthful adventures of the novel’s schoolboy protagonist, Thomas Sawyer, whose reputation precedes him for causing mischief and strife.
-
-50% Off
Original price was: 5,00 €.2,50 €Current price is: 2,50 €.Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis #1
by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
In the blockbuster bestselling tradition of Heir to the Empire comes this thrilling addition to the Star Wars(r) saga, as peace gives way to a new threat…
-
5,00 €by Stephen White
What if you could choose when to die?
But once you decide, you can’t change your mind.
Ever.
No matter what. -
-50% Off
Original price was: 4,00 €.2,00 €Current price is: 2,00 €.Star Wars Legends Universe
by Troy DenningHan and Leia struggle to keep the Empire at bay as stunning revelations from the past threaten to eclipse the future of the New Republic. . . .
-
-50% Off
Original price was: 5,00 €.2,50 €Current price is: 2,50 €.Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis #3
by Michael P. Kube-McDowell
In the wake of a shattered alliance, the New Republic fights a relentless new enemy in an all-new adventure in the bestselling “Star Wars” saga…
-
-50% Off
Original price was: 3,00 €.1,50 €Current price is: 1,50 €.by John Steinbeck
First published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is—both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. John Steinbeck draws on his memories of the real inhabitants of Monterey, California, and interweaves their stories in this world where only the fittest survive—creating what is at once one of his most humorous and poignant works.
1 in stock