Check nearby libraries
Buy this book

In Shady Characters, Keith Houston weaves a fascinating trail through the nooks and crannies of typographical history, from the Library of Alexandria to the halls of Bell Labs. Whether investigating the annotating duo of asterisk (*) and dagger (†); the plucky pilcrow (¶) and humble ampersand (&); or the at sign (@) and octothorpe (#), both newly reinvigorated by the Internet, Shady Characters will delight all who cherish the unpredictable and surprising in the writing life.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book

Previews available in: English
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Shady characters
2015, Penguin, Penguin Books Ltd, imusti
Paperback
in English
0718193881 9780718193881
|
zzzz
|
2
Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks
2014, Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W.
Paperback
in English
0393241548 9780393241549
|
aaaa
|
3
Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks
2014, Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W.
in English
0393349721 9780393349726
|
zzzz
|
4
Shady characters: the secret life of punctuation, symbols & other typographical marks
2013, W. W. Norton, W.W. Norton & Company
Hardcover
in English
- First edition
0393064425 9780393064421
|
eeee
|
5
Shady Characters: Ampersands, Interrobangs and Other Typographical Curiosities
2013, Penguin Books, Limited
in English
1846146488 9781846146480
|
zzzz
|
6
Shady Characters: Ampersands, Interrobangs and other Typographical Curiosities
Publish date unknown, Penguin Books
hardcover
184614647X 9781846146473
|
zzzz
|
Book Details
Table of Contents
Preface. ix
How to Read this Book. xii
1. The Pilcrow. 3
2. The Interrobang. 25
3. The Octothorpe. 41
4. The Ampersand. 59
5. The @ Symbol. 79
6. The Asterisk and Dagger. 97
7. The Hyphen. 121
8. The Dash. 145
9. The Manicule. 167
10. Quotation Marks. 187
11. Irony and Sarcasm. 211
1. Irony in History. 212
2. Ironics. 223
3. Digital Sarcasm. 229
Afterword. 245
Further Reading. 247
Acknowledgments. 249
Notes. 251
Illustration Credits. 319
Index. 323
Edition Notes
Classifications
The Physical Object
Edition Identifiers
Work Identifiers
Links outside Open Library
Community Reviews (0)
History
- Created August 29, 2020
- 6 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
November 24, 2020 | Edited by Lisa | Merge works |
November 23, 2020 | Edited by radioattack | Added new cover |
November 23, 2020 | Edited by radioattack | Correct indentation on TOC |
November 23, 2020 | Edited by radioattack | Add TOC, identifiers, physical info |
August 29, 2020 | Created by ImportBot | Imported from Better World Books record |