Shady Characters

A fascinating book, which had sat on our shelf for quite some time (a gift from Adrian Paterson). The book is a treasure trove of history, anecdote and trivia for punctuation geeks. The premise is simple: what is the origin for much-used signs such as @ or #; were they always used, and how/why did these become “accepted”, while others fell by the wayside? The answers are not always clear-cut, and a certain amount is down to chance, but Houston provides some fascinating insights. The work is well researched and takes in the ancient world (Egypt, Greece, Rome), as well as the printing press, and more recently advertising copy and the internet. It's always fascinating learning about something about which I was hitherto quite ignorant. Never again will I treat the asterisk, dagger or ampersand with as much for-granted status as previously.

By Keith Houston