It started—as the biggest arguments do—over the smallest of things: the placement of a comma. That turned into an anecdote, and thence into a speech. And now author, editor, and punctuation lover Ian Randal Strock has turned it into a book. Punctilious Punctuation allows each and every one of those little spots and squiggles on the page to shine, with its own chapter covering the history, usage, misusage, and ancillary information of the punctuation marks. Punctuated with stories and anecdotes on the huge impact those tiny marks can have (the $5 million lawsuit, the Russian revolution, and more), Punctilious Punctuation is fully researched, footnoted, illustrated, and—of course—punctuated.

Ian Randal Strock’s three books on presidential history and trivia were published by Random House and Carrel Books. His award-winning science fiction has appeared in Analog, Nature, Amazing, and several anthologies, and some of it has recently been collected in Wandering Through Time. He has presented talks on punctuation, the presidents, and a variety of other topics to Mensa, writers’ groups, science fiction societies, the 99s, university classes, and more. He is the recipient of the 2025 Edward E. Smith Memorial “Skylark” Award, and firmly believes in the utility and necessity of the serial comma.

Punctilious Punctuation: Telling tales with (and of) those jots and tittles, including why they’re called jots and tittles, and the horrifying story of why the period goes inside the quotation marks
by Ian Randal Strock
148 pages, fully illustrated
September 15, 2025
Trade Paperback: ISBN: 978-1-5154-5834-0, $15.99
Case Laminate (library binding): ISBN: 978-1-5154-5837-1, $27.99

Punctilious Punctuation—and all Gray Rabbit Publications books—are distributed via Ingram. Review copies are available upon request.

And the request: where do you find reviews of such non-fiction titles that you appreciate? In the realm of science fiction, I know where to send galleys, but I’m trying to improve my game in non-fiction. Thanks!