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Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks
A charming and indispensable tour of two thousand years of the written word, Shady Characters weaves a fascinating trail across the parallel histories of language and typography.
About Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks
A charming and indispensable tour of two thousand years of the written word, Shady Characters weaves a fascinating trail across the parallel histories of language and typography. Whether investigating the asterisk (*) and dagger (†)—which alternately illuminated and skewered heretical verses of the early Bible—or the at sign (@), which languished in obscurity for centuries until rescued by the Internet, Keith Houston draws on myriad sources to chart the life and times of these enigmatic squiggles, both exotic (¶) and everyday (&). From the Library of Alexandria to the halls of Bell Labs, figures as diverse as Charlemagne, Vladimir Nabokov, and George W. Bush cross paths with marks as obscure as the interrobang (?) and as divisive as the dash (—). Ancient Roman graffiti, Venetian trading shorthand, Cold War double agents, and Madison Avenue round out an ever more diverse set of episodes, characters, and artifacts. Ranging across time, typographies, and countries, Shady Characters will delight and entertain all who cherish the unpredictable and surprising in the writing life.
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Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks is available as an audiobook on Apple Books. We haven't confirmed it on Spotify yet — but you can still search there below.
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More by Keith Houston
Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks — frequently asked
- Is Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks on Spotify?
- We haven't confirmed Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks on Spotify's audiobook catalog yet. Spotify audiobooks are included with Premium (up to a monthly listening limit) in supported markets.
- Is Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks on Apple Books?
- Yes — Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks is available as an audiobook on Apple Books.
- Who wrote Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks?
- Shady Characters : The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and Other Typographical Marks is by Keith Houston.
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