Reference books are of course never the most-scintillating books for discussion at the dinner table, but they are extremely invaluable to have next to you when you are writing and editing. The Chicago Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press, serves as one of the publishing industry standards on writing. The latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has nearly 1,000 pages and contains the rules for numbers, plurals, and spelling and more. Because The Chicago Manual of Style also details the responsibilities of both editors and writers throughout the stages of a manuscript, it is significantly more interesting for writers and editors as a reference book than some of the other reference books available.

Using The Chicago Manual of Style takes a little time getting used to. The book is divided into seventeen chapters and contains a thorough index. Because of its size, it's awkward to carry around and the majority of the rules inside the book can also be found in other lighter, less bulky reference manuals. However, The Chicago Manual of Style also contains specifications for how mathematical equations and tables should look, how scientific tables should appear on the page, and even how references from the Bible should be abbreviated. Because The Chicago Manual of Style covers such a wide breadth of topics, it is definitely useful to have on hand when writing or editing as a reference guide.

A distinct advantage of The Chicago Manual of Style for novice editors and writers lies in the fact that the first few chapters of the book are devoted to information that is specifically germane to the publishing industry.  The Chicago Manual of Style discusses the parts of a book or a journal, the stages of the editing process, and the rules for obtaining permissions for copywritten materials, as well as the progression of a manuscript into its final form. The chapters on those subjects are concise and well-written and give what I am told is an accurate overview of the inner-workings of the publishing industry. The 15th and 16th editions of The Chicago Manual of Style even contain information on what is necessary for editing electronic publications. However, despite the inclusion of electronic publications, The Chicago Manual of Style does not have a single reference to blogging, which remains a murky, gray area in many of the major style guides.

The publisher has now made The Chicago Manual of Style available online [3] and it is in its 16th edition.  Many might find that the online forums and the ever-popular Chicago Style Q & A are useful sources for any grammar, sourcing, or related questions. While registration is required in order to use the online resources for The Chicago Manual of Style, the site does have a trial 30-day registration period for those wanting to explore the reference materials on the site for no cost. Those who are interested in subscribing to the site might be shocked at the $35.00 annual fee for a subscription, which seems a little high. However, because the website contains such valuable material, a subscription might be a good idea.