We shall not attempt to treat the subject of abbreviations exhaustively or even fully, for it goes beyond the subject of punctuation; but its importance seems to justify its consideration at some length.
In the best printing-offices, if their expert copy-readers prepare the manuscript, few abbreviations are permitted in book-work; and it is well to follow their rules in all formal, if not in all business, correspondence.
FORM OF ADDRESS
The abbreviations in forms of address accepted by the printing-offices issuing three works on punctuation and style, especially mentioned in our preface, are the following:
By the De Vinne Press, Mr., Mrs., Messrs., Jr., and Sr.
By the University of Chicago Press, Mr., Messrs., Mrs. (French, M., MM., Mme, Mlle), Dr., Rev., Hon., St. [Saint], and Esq.
By The Riverside Press, Mr., Mrs., Messrs., M., Mme., Mlle., Jr., Sr., Dr., Esq., Rev., Hon.
These lists are somewhat misleading. Although not uniform, it is probable that the practice of the three offices from which they come, is uniform, with one exception. In the list from the “Manual for Writers” (University of Chicago Press), Mme and Mlle are not written with periods, as, we think, they should be.
It is a matter of course that the plural form MM., given in only one list, and the plural forms Mmes. and Mlles., not given at all, are treated the same as the abbreviations of the singular forms of the same.
Note.—We are unable to interpret the parenthesis in the above list from the University of Chicago Press. The terms within the parentheses are only remotely, if at all, explanatory of the preceding terms; and, although they belong in the list of abbreviations, they are taken out of the list by being put in parentheses. Moreover, “Mlle,” which is within the parentheses, has no reference to any term outside of the marks.