Where does the ampersand get its name from? What does the hashtag have to do with commerce in ancient Rome? Keith Houston gives the answers in this delightfully entertaining book.

From the pilcrow to the ampersand, the entire cast of Shady Characters reflects the changes in written communication through the ages, charting how punctuation has adapted to each new technological innovation. Together, these shady characters form a rich, entertaining and surprising history of the written word and our ongoing attempts to shape it.

'Engaging typographical journeys . . . Houston brings to life a history of ingenuity and imagination' The Times

'Entertaining, informative, a must-read. If ever a book deserved its hardbacked, reverse-embossed, lavishly illustrated, thick white heavy paper incarnation, and a place on an actual bookshelf, it is Shady Characters' Guardian

'Houston brings considerable wit to the 5,000-year-old enigma of how we attempt to communicate our thoughts through visible signs . . . Shady Characters might make you look at books - in print or online - in an entirely new way' Nature

'Refreshing . . . the stories he uncovers along the way are fascinating' Telegraph

'Ventures into the previously untrodden history of punctuation marks . . . scholarly, highly readable' Spectator

Keith Houston is the founder of ShadyCharacters.co.uk, where he writes about the unusual stories behind some well-known - and some rather more outlandish - marks of punctuation.

About the Author
Keith Houston started writing about the stories behind different marks of punctuation back in 2008 and soon discovered that they wove a fascinating trail across the parallel histories of language and typography. He is the founder of ShadyCharacters.co.uk where he brings these typographic raconteurs into the light of day.


Book Information
ISBN 9780718193881
Author Keith Houston
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 300g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 30mm