The work itself shows that practically nothing has been done to advance the science of punctuation for many years, the entire subject having apparently crystallized after the publication of Wilson’s book and the compendium of it prepared by Bigelow. How much these last lacked has not been apparent until this author took up the cudgels for less arbitrary rule and more distinctions based on good judgment. He throws light into dark places and makes it possible at last for a student to acquire a number of broad principles in place of the interminable rules and exceptions of the earlier writers.
The book is to be welcomed as a much needed contribution to a much neglected topic of universal interest.—Chicago Tribune.
No student of English should be without this book.—The Globe (Boston).
The work is valuable, not only to the learner, but also to the scholar.—Baltimore American.
The author has undoubtedly gone to the root of the matter in his fundamental theory.—The Beacon (Boston).
Though I have read proof twenty-five years or more, I find I can learn some valuable things from this book.—Henry R. Boss, Editor of the Proofsheet (Chicago).
With journalistic instinct the author has sought the reasons for the use of all marks; and instead of copying what previous authors have said, he has simply told why marks are used.—Philadelphia Press.
This book unquestionably has a mission, and it seems to us that the author has performed his task with exceptional intelligence. The book may be said to represent the best American usage of our day.—Review of Reviews.
The author is a painstaking and intelligent writer, and the line of reasoning followed by him is original and convincing, while his explanations and illustrations make the subject of punctuation both interesting and easy to learn.—Philadelphia Telegraph.