Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark

Ah, the semicolon. The bane of any young essayist and the sticking point for pedants, grammar nazis, and wannabe scholars alike. How can one punctuation mark — two little touches of a pen to paper — cause so much angst, so much agony, and spark so much debate? No idea. I’m more of an interrobang guy, myself.

Nonetheless, we’re long overdue for a book dedicated to the nuances, misconceptions, and spirited arguments inspired by this most elusive of grammatical tools. Thankfully, Cecelia Watson accepted the thankless task of unraveling the mysteries of the semicolon, answering all of the questions you never thought to ask with Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark.

From its very creation to its evolution in usage over the years, Watson covers the length and breadth of the punctuation mark, exploring how a simple mark became something that has affected the interpretation of laws and the way in which we judge the writing of others.

It’s illuminating, to say the least, not to mention incredibly engaging, given the relatively dry subject matter. But Watson makes this little mark’s life, trials, and tribulations a very entertaining read.