There
are some books that copy editors (two words, one word in US) and
proofreaders (one word, but sometimes hyphenated esp. as verb)
keep by them at all times. A good comprehensive dictionary is a must, a
style guide or two is always useful, as is an encyclopedia (but
use -paed- in quoting titles where that spelling was followed), a
thesaurus, and Brewer’s Phrase and Fable, though I tend to read
this when I’m bored with what I’m doing. But if I have a niggling
question about correct spelling or meaning, my first port of call is
more often the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors, which
is nothing less than a compendious (comprehensive but fairly brief)
assembly of all kinds of information.
Take the
double-page spread in front of me, from Harlow (US film actress) to
headrest (one word). Here I can confirm that Hartlepool is in Cleveland,
or that an haruspex was a Roman religious official who interpreted omens
from looking at animals’ entrails, not to mention learning what the
plural is. Haute bourgeoisie should be italicised, while haute
couture escapes this fate. In case you’re wondering, Julian Hawthorne
is the son of Nathaniel Hawthorne, while hay fever is (two words). HB
means hard black and hdkf. is apparently an acceptable abbreviation (in
general do not use points (a general term for all marks of punctuation)
in abbreviations with several full or small caps.).
I could go
on, but I’m sure you’ve already got the idea. It gathers together
much useful if apparently arcane knowledge, correct spellings for
difficult words like veranda (not –ah), translations of foreign
phrases, explanations of abbreviations – it’s terribly useful if you
want to find out whether a word should be capitalised. And it has a set
of terribly useful appendices (pl. –ices) covering such things as
mathematical symbols, transliteration and proofreading marks.
This book is
subtitled ‘the essential guide for anyone who works with words’, and
while I might not go quite as far as that, it certainly is an
essential working tool for every working writer and editor. One notable
difference between this edition and the superseded 1981 edition is the
removal of practically all the typographical material, everything from
accents and special sorts to punctuation, and ‘rules’ (a personal
favourite). Much of this material will presumably reappear in the Oxford
Guide to Style, intended to be a companion volume to this
dictionary, and which was apparently due in Spring 2001, though I’ve
yet to see it. Nevertheless, as it stands, the ODWE is a fine tool for
writers, and jolly good entertainment. Yes, I also read it when I’m
bored.
