Snails & Monkey Tails: A Visual Guide to Punctuation & Symbols by Michael Arndt
This whimsical and informative gem of a book would be the perfect gift for anyone who loves languages, linguistics or graphic design. English teachers, journalists, writers, grammarians, librarians and trivia experts alike will love author Michael Arndt’s witty exploration of fourteen standard punctuation marks and commonly used typographical symbols in Snails & Monkey Tails: A Visual Guide to Punctuation & Symbols (Harper Design).
The book is an eye-catching love letter to the beauty and joy of properly used English language punctuation. It belongs on one’s personal bookshelf of useful yet quirkily titled instruction manuals such as Gyles Brandeth’s recent Have You Eaten Grandma?: Or, the Life-Saving Importance of Correct Punctuation, Grammar, and Good English and Lynne Truss’ now classic bestseller Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
BEAUTY AND JOY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Arndt, a graphic designer-turned-illustrator and children’s book author, describes punctuation marks as “the jewels that sparkle against the little black dress of typography.” He discusses the origins of each, their history, the evolution of their names and shapes and provides sample usages. In deference to our digital age, he also includes emoticons.
Snails & Monkey Tails is visually arresting, a dazzling display of shapes and colors that comprise a practical guide to correct punctuation. Some shapes can be elegant: Asterisks look like stars, snowflakes or petals on a flower as seen by the beholder. When inserted in swear words in place of missing letters, we have an example of “expurgation or bowdlerization,” according to the author. Some are amusing: Mort Walker, creator of the comic strip “Beetle Bailey” invented the term “grawlix,” which refers to a string of punctuation marks indicating curse words. And other shapes can be sinister like the dagger, which may indicate a year of death.
Punctuation is derived from the Latin “punctum” meaning “a point” and Arndt has achieved this brilliantly. I freely admit to being immediately attracted to the title and striking black, red and white cover, and then bowled over by its contents. I highly recommend this clever and useful reference guide.
