Punctilious Punctuation
published by Milherst Publishing, September 2025
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5154-5834-0
Case Laminate (Library) Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-5154-5837-1
Taking a stand against the abomination that is punctuational minimization, Ian Randal Strock takes a big look at the little marks between words that mean so much. Delving into the genesis and history of punctuation marks (both individually and collectively), he also looks at proposed—and failed—punctuation marks, and suggests new ones.
You’ll laugh, you’ll cringe, you’ll sigh with relief. But maybe… just maybe… you’ll come away from this book realizing that saving fractions of column inches is no reason to cede the clarity, vibrancy, and artistry of proper punctuation to the legions of language-devaluing, space-saving, text-messaging philistines.
Join the fight for proper punctuation! Read Punctilious Punctuation▬
Wandering Through Time: The Collected Short Fiction (So Far)
published by Fantastic Books, December 2024
Print ISBN: 978-1-5154-5822-7
Ian Randal Strock’s short fiction travels from the deep past to the far future, from the horrifying to the fascinating, and from just next door to the farthest reaches of the imagination. These stories represent the first three decades of his writing career.
Analog Editor Trevor Quachri says “This is the kind of classic, clever idea-oriented SF you’d find in the Golden Age, but built for today. Recommended for your witty friends, history buffs, time travel fans….”
Whether it’s stories about inventing time travel in order to avoid being late for work, dying young to achieve immortality, colonizing the stars via conspiracy theory, or the big one: learning how to recognize your time-traveling self, Hugo Winner Robert J. Sawyer says “Strock’s intellect shine through on every page of this fabulous collection.”
Ranking the Vice Presidents: True Tales and Trivia, from John Adams to Joe Biden
published by Carrel Books, August 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-63144-059-5
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63144-061-8
This book, and its companion, Ranking the First Ladies, were first conceived as the second half of The Presidential Book of Lists. Eventually, they grew into their own volumes. As with TPBoL, Ranking the Vice Presidents is a trivia-history collection comparing and contrasting the Vice Presidents of the United States. But rather than ranking them by subjective considerations, I’ve used objective measures to arrive at true rankings of them. Thus, I’ve written about the longest-lived Vice Presidents, the most fertile Vice Presidents, the most popular states for Vice Presidents to be buried, the Vice Presidents who did not attend college, and much more. Also included are sections on other Cabinet officers, and on Presidential succession.
Ranking the First Ladies: True Tales and Trivia, from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama
published by Carrel Books, July 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-63144-058-8
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-63144-060-1
This book, and its companion, Ranking the Vice Presidents, were first conceived as the second half of The Presidential Book of Lists. Eventually, they grew into their own volumes. As with TPBoL, Ranking the First Ladies is a trivia-history collection comparing and contrasting the First Ladies of the United States. But rather than ranking them by subjective considerations, I’ve used objective measures to arrive at true rankings of them. Thus, I’ve written about the youngest First Ladies, those who had the most children, their causes and projects, their professions, and much more. Also included are sections on other family members, and on Presidential pets.
So You Want to Get Rich as a Writer?…
published by Gray Rabbit Publications, April 2014
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5154-2370-6
Breaking one of his own cardinal rules about marketing (“Always present a positive image”), publishing professional Ian Randal Strock offers honest insights for upcoming authors who want to make writing a career.
The publishing world is constantly in flux, but some hidden truths are eternal. The way to succeed is to learn those truths, and also to pay close attention to the changing business of writerly creativity.
Whether you choose to pursue traditional or indie publishing success, you need to know the pitfalls and traps that undermine many writers’ careers. This book will give you the grounding you need.
Conceived as a companion to Strock’s well-received public lectures on the topic, this book deserves its place in your professional writer’s toolbox.
The Presidential Book of Lists: From Most to Least, Elected to Rejected, Worst to Cursed—Fascinating Facts About Our Chief Executives
published by Villard (an imprint of Random House), October 2008
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-345-50736-5
Also available as an Ebook
Random House calls it “An entertaining and informative compendium of facts and trivia about the U.S. presidents ranging from George Washington to the results of the 2008 presidential election in a volume organized into more than one hundred different categories.”
Library Journal’s October 2008 review called the book “fun,” while SFSite’s review said “The Presidential Book of Lists is a fun and educational book. Its format lends itself to quickly dipping in and looking over a couple of lists, but also allows the reader to spend more time comparing the lists Strock has created. Despite the brief examinations, many of the Presidents come out of the book with a personality rather than simply as stock figures. Strock has presented a fun and interesting book that can benefit many who are interested in the Presidency.”
Ian Randal Strock 