Inquiring minds want to know . . . what’s on your bookshelf? Or in that pile of books on your desk or floor, or your stash of online links or files?
In the spirit of sharing resources and supporting each other’s professional lives, Editors BC and Editors Canada members are invited to submit a short piece about their “bookshelf” for posting in West Coast Editor, Editors BC’s official blog.
Continue readingWe had the pleasure of interviewing Ellen Jovin, proprietor of the Grammar Table, the star of Rebel with a Clause—a new documentary filmthat premiered January 10—and the author of the US national bestseller Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian (HarperCollins, 2022).
We invite you to join Editors BC and Ellen for “Winter Grammarfest!”
When: Saturday, January 18, 2025, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm PST
Where: Online via Zoom. Registration is open until January 17.
Enjoy the Q&A below!
Continue readingWhen: Saturday, January 18, 2025, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm PST
Where: Online via Zoom
You are invited to a grammar party with Ellen Jovin, originator of the Grammar Table and star of Rebel with a Clause, a new documentary film by her husband and business partner, Brandt Johnson. The film documents their travels to all 50 US states so Ellen could answer the grammar questions of total strangers on the street.
Continue reading
Written by Lola Opatayo; copy edited by Meagan Kus
Did you finish everything on your reading list this summer? Maybe you did, or maybe you didn’t really have one to begin with. Whatever the case, I’ve compiled a list of 10 books you can plan to read before 2021 ends.
What: Editors BC monthly meeting
When: Wednesday, September 20, 2017, 7:00–9:00 pm
Where: Welch Room, 4th floor, YWCA Health + Fitness Centre, 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: Free for Editors BC members, non-members, and students
Another summer come and gone! Join us in welcoming the 2017–18 Editors BC season with a wine and cheese social. Continue reading
by Frances Peck
Book review of The Subversive Copy Editor by Carol Fisher Saller (The University of Chicago Press, 2009)
What does it take to get really good at the business of editing? I’d boil it down to four things: turn in great work, treat clients well, meet your deadlines, and maintain your perspective (code for: keep calm and carry on).
Editors are bookworms. Hopeless bookworms. Take this 13-question self-diagnostic test, created by hopeless—but happy—bookworm Frank Karabotsos, to determine exactly how “hopeless” your book-loving condition is.
You know how it is. You approach a bookstore and resolutely tell yourself, I’ll only go in for five minutes, buy the book I want, and make my escape. Yeah, right. When does it ever happen that way? I used to feel guilty about this, but my only worry now is, how bookish am I, really? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself the same question. Well, you’re about to find out.
If you answer Yes to more than 11 of the following statements, you’re a Bibliolater: you’d sell your house for a first edition; between 6 and 10, you’re a Bibliomaniac: you’d read a book while skydiving; between 1 and 5, you’re a Bibliophile: you probably carry reading material with you into the bath.
Only if you answer No to all of the questions are you truly safe, able to resist the temptation of books when circumstances warrant.
Take the test to find out how “hopeless” your book-loving condition is.
| DOES THIS DESCRIBE YOU? |
| You judge a book by its spine, that is, by how well it will look sandwiched between other books on your shelves. |
| You change the arrangement of the books on your shelves to give them a refreshing new look, the same way others rearrange their furniture. |
| You wince when you hear a crack after someone bends a hardback more than 180 degrees. |
| You have at least three copies of War and Peace (or another famous work) in three different translations. |
| You know the difference between bibliophily, bibliomania, and bibliolatry. |
| You have an urge to remove the dust covers from your books and display them as posters in your office. |
| You use a steam iron to smooth out the wrinkles in the satin ribbon markers of your books. |
| You purchase two copies of the same book: a paperback for reading on the beach, and a hardback for reading at home. |
| To avoid your spouse’s cry of “Not another book!” when a parcel arrives, you have your orders sent to your work address or to a sympathetic non-bookish friend (someone who won’t be tempted to open the box). |
| You have multiple copies of a favourite novel, one with a cool cover, one with illustrations, and one with scholarly notes. |
| You buy Brodart plastic covers to protect your books, just as libraries do. |
| You start reading a paperback in the store, but then order the hardback since you want a copy with nicer paper and wider margins for notes. |
| You wish you had never heard of The Folio Society. |
Now it’s your turn. What other symptoms of obsessive bookishness do you (or others you know) exhibit?
FROM: Frank Karabotsos
I just read the March issue of WCE online, which looks great. I appreciated the link to the poem on English pronunciation. What a hoot!
Speaking of links, I am not sure if book-related videos fall within the purview of WCE, but recently I found two of interest. The first is a stop-motion video of books coming alive at night after a bookstore has closed. Interestingly, I used to visit that store when I lived in Toronto.
The second is the recent Oscar winner for animated short “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.” Its message? If you love books, they’ll love you back.
