What do I keep around when I'm writing or copyediting? My shelves are sagging with reference books. I don't trust myself to know all the proper spellings and shades of meaning, particularly in British documents, so I refer to the following several books frequently:
The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th and 15th editions M-W Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition Oxford Compact Thesaurus and Reader's Digest Family Word Finder (also a thesaurus) For my UK clients, I rely on The Oxford Style Manual The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition Collins English Dictionary, complete and unabridged, 6th edition--this is the dictionary I keep open on the desk to my left as I sit in front of the computer on my other desk.
There's a whole bunch of other reference books I occasionally call upon:
Amy Einsohn, The Copyeditor's Handbook Paul W. Lovinger, The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style Words Into Type, 2nd edition STET Again! More Tricks of the Trade for Publications People (Selections from The Editorial Eye) Harbrace College Handbook, 9th edition--I still keep the same copy I used in high school. The Associated Press Stylebook, for my occasional AP style projects. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition--I haven't done any APA style projects for years now, though. The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary Charlton Laird, Webster's New World Thesaurus Roget's International Thesaurus, 4th edition Björn Gustavii, How to Write & Illustrate a Scientific Paper Assorted almanacs (Information Please, New York Times, etc.)
I've collected numerous foreign-language dictionaries (Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Russian, Italian), which help me out sometimes when I'm copyediting scholarly studies, or market reports written by non-native English speakers.
I own yet another bunch of reference books and style guides I don't actively use in my everyday work, but which I enjoy dipping into now and then, for I too am a geek. :-)
Wilson Follett, Modern American Usage Fowler and Fowler, The King's English Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (published in one volume, with nine pages of the original publication reduced and printed on each page) The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 6th edition Jonathon Green, Chambers Slang Dictionary Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 18th edition Hugh Rawson, Wicked Words Virginia Tufte, Artful Sentences: Syntax As Style American Psychiatric Glossary Miller's Pocket Dictionary of Antiques George Ferguson, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art Luc Reid, Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style And last but not least, Jesse Sheidlower, ed., The F Word
I've got no works on demonology or voodoo in my collection, though they might prove very useful in helping me invoke fitting maledictions upon clumsy writers and clients that pay months late (when mere F words won't do).
I've had to pay full price for only a handful of these works. A few were gifts; others I picked up from library book sales or ordered from discounters. I was even awarded one as a door prize at a conference. Several of them came as incentives for membership in the Folio Society.
Reference materials
The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th and 15th editions
M-W Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition
Oxford Compact Thesaurus and Reader's Digest Family Word Finder (also a thesaurus)
For my UK clients, I rely on
The Oxford Style Manual
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition
Collins English Dictionary, complete and unabridged, 6th edition--this is the dictionary I keep open on the desk to my left as I sit in front of the computer on my other desk.
There's a whole bunch of other reference books I occasionally call upon:
Amy Einsohn, The Copyeditor's Handbook
Paul W. Lovinger, The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style
Words Into Type, 2nd edition
STET Again! More Tricks of the Trade for Publications People (Selections from The Editorial Eye)
Harbrace College Handbook, 9th edition--I still keep the same copy I used in high school.
The Associated Press Stylebook, for my occasional AP style projects.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition--I haven't done any APA style projects for years now, though.
The American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Charlton Laird, Webster's New World Thesaurus
Roget's International Thesaurus, 4th edition
Björn Gustavii, How to Write & Illustrate a Scientific Paper
Assorted almanacs (Information Please, New York Times, etc.)
I've collected numerous foreign-language dictionaries (Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Russian, Italian), which help me out sometimes when I'm copyediting scholarly studies, or market reports written by non-native English speakers.
I own yet another bunch of reference books and style guides I don't actively use in my everyday work, but which I enjoy dipping into now and then, for I too am a geek. :-)
Wilson Follett, Modern American Usage
Fowler and Fowler, The King's English
Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage
Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition (published in one volume, with nine pages of the original publication reduced and printed on each page)
The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 6th edition
Jonathon Green, Chambers Slang Dictionary
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 18th edition
Hugh Rawson, Wicked Words
Virginia Tufte, Artful Sentences: Syntax As Style
American Psychiatric Glossary
Miller's Pocket Dictionary of Antiques
George Ferguson, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art
Luc Reid, Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures
Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style
And last but not least, Jesse Sheidlower, ed., The F Word
I've got no works on demonology or voodoo in my collection, though they might prove very useful in helping me invoke fitting maledictions upon clumsy writers and clients that pay months late (when mere F words won't do).
I've had to pay full price for only a handful of these works. A few were gifts; others I picked up from library book sales or ordered from discounters. I was even awarded one as a door prize at a conference. Several of them came as incentives for membership in the Folio Society.
SVBeitel