Invaluable Resource for Writers and DTPers 


                              by Russell Francis 


   Ed: Thanks for sending in this invaluable information, Russell, and yes, I
  was aware of it - I discovered it a couple a years ago and was agog with
  pedantic excitement at finding an authoritative source of information on
  correct usage and style. I highly recommend it to anyone who writes
  anything more than shopping lists.


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   In MegaDisc32/MegaBites, you devoted some space to what you termed a
  "Style Manual".  A good idea and very helpful.  However, when I first read
  this term, I thought you were going to tell your readers about a book by
  this title.  Since you didn't, I will!  The full title is "Style Manual
  for Authors, Editors and Printers of Australian Government Publications" -
  bit of a gobfull, innit! And you can forget about the "Government" part in
  the title - this book is for anyone who writes anything more than a casual
  family letter.

   There are five Parts, eleven appendixes (this is an acceptable alternative
  to "appendices", fellow pedants!), a bibliography and a glossary - leaving
  aside the index, there are 436 well-organised pages in my 1986 imprint.
  I'll run briefly through the table of contents -

   Part One: Writing and Editing contains 11 sections including writing;
  spelling; punctuation (yes, Martha, 1 & a half pages on the feared and
  loathed apostrophe); abbreviations and contractions; numbers, dates &
  currency; units of measurement; indexing ; etc.

   Part Two: Copy and Proofs contains preparing copy; standing matter;
  correcting proofs.

   Part Three: Designing for Print contains 8 sections including typography;
  type face; format; parts of a publication; paper; etc.

   Part Four: Printing contains five sections - typographical style rules;
  dividing words; etc.

   Part Five: Duplicating and Copying contains duplicating, copying and
  microfilming; typing for reproduction.


   The eleven Appendixes include Honorifics and modes of address; the law
  relating to publication; difficult spellings (BAD SPELLERS OF THE WORLD -
  UNTIE! graffiti); special signs and symbols; foreign currencies; paper
  sizes; standard page dimensions; metric conversions; etc.  There are also
  a number of photographic plates illustrating colour and half-tone printing
  examples and a large number of line illustrations. [Ed: where is the
  grammatical error in the preceding sentence? (Sorry, Russell, couldn't help
  myself - please point out a few of mine in a future letter!)]


   Hugely expensive?  No - I bought my softcover copy back in 1986 for $16.00
  from the Australian Government Publishing Service, Sales and Distribution
  Section, G.P.O. Box 84, Canberra, ACT 2601.  I have seen the book in a
  Sydney Government bookshop recent ly but didn't notice the current price.
  If it's doubled in price, it's still a good buy.  ItsOzi and it's good!


   A snide aside!

   Finally, I couldn't help but notice the borious glunders in a double-page
  advertisement in the December ACAR.  "If your'e using a Commodore computer
  or just brought one", "call the one closet you", "receipe of purchase" etc
  etc.  Or were they deliferate mistales put in to make people read the
  advert closely. Only Commodore's PR section really knows for sure!



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