Comments on: Words into Type? Anyone?

Question: Words into Type? Anyone?

scratch — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:53:43 -0800

Does anyone still use Words into Type?

CMS is going strong, AP, AMA, and APA obviously have built-in staying power, but I haven't cracked my WIT in several years. (I mostly do book copyediting.)

By: mattbucher

mattbucher — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:15:19 -0800

I work for a large publisher and we still keep the third edition on the shelves, issue it to all editors and copyeditors, but I don't think anyone really uses it. Has it been updated since 1974?

By: smich

smich — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:26:55 -0800

I still use it, even though it is outdated. It still has a lot of useful information.

By: scratch

scratch — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:48:45 -0800

Matt--Worldcat and Amazon have listings for a fourth edition c/r 1999, but I don't believe it.

Smich--Agreed, but are you using it for personal reference? Mostly I want to know if any publishers rely on it as their manual of choice.

By: penchant

penchant — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:52:53 -0800

A copy or two are on the reference shelf and scattered about here at work (a university press). But I don't think I've ever seen anyone use it (myself included). We are all issued the CMoS, we science journals editors get the CSE manual, and our medical journals editors get the AMA guide.

Just asked a friend, a books editor here. Her response was "nope, never!"

By: languagehat

languagehat — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:30:12 -0800

I love my battered old copy, but I haven't had to use it professionally in almost 20 years.

By: misanthropicsarah

misanthropicsarah — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 15:02:28 -0800

i don't think so. at the 3-4 publishing type places i've worked in the past 6 years, i don't think i've even seen a copy of it. i think i may have seen on in the writing center in college....