Streetmap 0.91 out now

Streetmap is a simple UK streetmap search extension for Firefox. Just highlight a UK street name or postcode and right-click to launch a map of it from your favourite map service. 0.91 fixes a malformed RDF file. Version 1 (coming soon) will add the Google Maps service.
More info and download »

Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English by Eric Partridge

This classic book is dedicated to Dr Onions. Onions was the original editor of the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Allegedly, the book’s authority gave rise to the phrase, “knowing one’s onions”.

That gives you some kind of background to the author, Eric Partridge. When the first edition was published in 1947, scholars were scholars. The […]

The Penguin Guide to Punctuation

I love a good argument about punctuation. However, there are times when people just won’t accept that I am correct. This book is for those times one needs to set others right. I suppose, if it was really necessary, one could even use it as reference oneself.

This book is well-structured, succinct, and written in plain […]

The ‘Economist’ Style Guide

Whether or not you agree with its politics, I don’t think you can fault the writing style of The Economist for clarity and precision. A reporter there told me that it took him five years before he wrote an item that didn’t need extensive subbing.

If you haven’t got the time, perhaps this book will help.

It’s […]

Content Critical

This is a disappointing book. But if you’re part of a large organisation, it is still essential reading.

It doesn’t practise what it preaches (it’s long-winded, repetitive and a bit overblown). It wanders ineffectually into the fields of usability and information architecture. It doesn’t provide enough good examples or in-depth case studies.

However, as a manifesto for […]