Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2016 -

Authored by one of the titans of American library history, this volume is a celebration of the transformative role public libraries have played in US society since the second half of the 19th century. The ten chapters delve into the gist of why Americans love their libraries, tracing the history of the public library as an emblematic institution that has contributed to promoting democratic civic values and maintained social diversity by providing commonplace reading materials and public spaces available to all. Wiegand (emer., Florida State Univ.) investigates primary historical sources dating from as early as 1850, which, coupled with contemporary accounts, results in a dynamic canvas that pinpoints the development of the US public library and its significance in the lives of the two-thirds of citizens who carry a library card. Genuinely welcoming places for people seeking information and leisure reading, or for those who want to further their education and acquire new skills, public libraries remain open to all ages, genders, and races. They unite their supporters to fight censorship and defend the core value of intellectual freedom. A good read for anyone, librarian or not.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

Writers, copy editors, and students seeking advice or explanations of the conventions of standard literary English will find definitive, clearly expressed rulings inThe Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation. As the author of a dozen guides on language and writing, as well as the "Grammar and Usage" chapter of the current edition ofTheChicago Manual of Style, law professor Garner (Southern Methodist Univ.) offers unmatched expertise. The book's 558-item table of contents (plus exhaustive indexes) makes it easy for readers to locate relevant sections. An introductory essay encapsulates the history of the field, and each section's opening concisely explains its history, theory, and utility. Sections define and explain parts of speech, syntax, word formation, usage, and punctuation in an energetic and readable way, advising on day-to-day writing dilemmas and venturing into overviews of morphology, transformational grammar, and diagramming sentences. The usage section offers evidence of language change over time usingn-gram word counts created with Google Ngram Viewer. Included as well as is a standout section on bias-free language and a useful listing of prepositional idioms. Punctuation guidance separates out uses and misuses, drawing example uses from a diverse group of mostly 20th-century writers.Summing Up: Essential. All libraries. All levels.