Chicago Manual of Style

Two announcements yesterday that deserve blogging attention.

The first was the announcement that the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) will become available as a subscription service effective tomorrow.

The CMOS is the bible of writers--the ultimate arbiter of what is right and wrong in grammar, formatting and writing style. Since its first edition was published in 1906 by the University of Chicago Press, the book has been a "steady seller" according to the New York Times (NYT).

Until I purchased my own copy a few years ago, I was a regular visitor to the CMOS online question/answer site at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html. According to the NYT, that site will be incorporated into the new subscription service's site.

The new service will cost an individual subscriber $25 the first year and $30 per year thereafter (I know; I think it's weird, too). The list price for the print version is $55.