Academic Publishing


Academic Publishing


For those of you who think that all this grammar and usage stuff isn't important, well you're wrong. Language is slippery by nature -- that's we have confusions, doubles entendres, jokes, puns and cock-ups. But sooner rather than later, one of these will trip you up and you'll find yourself writing something that you didn't really mean to say. It can happen to anyone. Here's a salutary tale.

I recently bought a fairly specialist book on the Habsburg Empire. I'm interested in that kind of thing. The book was an expensive hardback -- €36 -- and published by Princeton University Press, a very good address. Or is it? The presentation of the text -- in short, the editing -- is embarrassing in places. On page 9, we are told that the French 4th republic was sheltering behind the Maginot Line. 'Scuse me, sor! I think that would be the 3rd republic: they were separated by the little spat known as World War II. 


It gets a lot worse.Twice in one paragraph, the word "principle" is used where it should be "principal". We have Austrian leaders "pouring" over maps, and fortifications "cited" in strategic locations. That should be "poring" and "sited", as in situated. There's more: but I won't labour the point.


It costs about $65,000 a year to go the Princeton, most of which comprises tuition fees. Don't you think that their press -- whose prestige reflects that of the university -- could afford a competent copy editor? Or maybe they need WriteProper in New Jersey.


FERGAL TOBIN is a retired publisher and the proprietor of WriteProper, a one-morning workshop aimed at improving the written English of staff in businesses, trade associations, professional bodies and the public service. See www.writeproper.ie for more.

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