dmturner's review against another edition
3.0
The tale of a quixotic jaunt around the USA to correct typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors everywhere, this book is written in an uneasy amalgam of jocularity, anachronistic fustiness, and slightly muddled not-so-righteous indignation. It's also an odd little travelogue and buddy narrative that rattles along much of the book, to end in some unexpected (and well-deserved) negative consequences for the travelers.
The authors partly blame poor phonics instruction for some of the persistent errors people make, and further make the mistake of fixing upon the routinized, scripted chanted Direct Instruction model as a possible answer. Good phonics instruction does indeed make some spelling errors much less likely, but it's a lot more complicated than that.
However, the book is on the whole a diverting read, despite its flaws, and the stories of odd little encounters with shopkeepers and the musings on the ethics of correcting people's grammar make it worth reading.
I also didn't catch any unintended typos. Because I am someone who (a) learned to read with phonics, (b) is a visual reader, (c) taught middle school English, and (d) has been a voracious reader all her life, I can't avoid seeing any errors in my reading.
The authors partly blame poor phonics instruction for some of the persistent errors people make, and further make the mistake of fixing upon the routinized, scripted chanted Direct Instruction model as a possible answer. Good phonics instruction does indeed make some spelling errors much less likely, but it's a lot more complicated than that.
However, the book is on the whole a diverting read, despite its flaws, and the stories of odd little encounters with shopkeepers and the musings on the ethics of correcting people's grammar make it worth reading.
I also didn't catch any unintended typos. Because I am someone who (a) learned to read with phonics, (b) is a visual reader, (c) taught middle school English, and (d) has been a voracious reader all her life, I can't avoid seeing any errors in my reading.
nyssahhhh's review against another edition
4.0
I would like to have this cross-country editing adventure some day. It took far too long for me to finish this, but quite fitting that I completed it on National Grammar Day.
randybo5's review against another edition
3.0
A very entertaining tale of what can be learned about attitudes, history, meaning, and oh, yes, grammar, from a trip across the country correcting typos.
lisa_mc's review against another edition
3.0
Jeff Deck's goal on his cross-country typo-fixing trip was simple: "to enhance the clarity of the message." He and his friends tried to get permission whenever possible to make changes. Sometimes they were greeted with hostility, sometimes confusion, and sometimes gratitude. One correction resulted in a federal case (really -- it's pretty interesting). But the book is not merely a chronicle of typos fixed; it's an exploration of language and culture, and even class and race. The typos are fun (and funny), but the authors' cultural observations are keen and thoughtfully discussed.
Full review here:
http://www.kansas.com/2010/08/08/1437998/chronicle-of-typo-fixing-entertains.html
Full review here:
http://www.kansas.com/2010/08/08/1437998/chronicle-of-typo-fixing-entertains.html
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
Huh. Well. I guess I liked the idea of this book better than the actual book. It was kind of slow. And really its mission wasn't clear. Though writing a review for this book is making me self-conscious, cause really I have a typo in pretty much every review. Though I do often go back, re-read and fix them. Having the heroes basically skip Portland was a little disappointing, though having one of the authors apparently end up in Beaverton and only two hops away according to linkedin makes it a tiny bit better. Still a fun-ish book on language and nicety and perhaps making a difference, if only a small one.
auntblh's review against another edition
4.0
I did enjoy reading this book even if I wanted to choke the author a couple of times. It was nice to see his progression as he traveled the country and see the different errors and the reactions if/when he confronted someone about them. This may become a suggestion for a future book group read.
chrissymcbooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
THE GREAT TYPO HUNT was definitely a fun little nerdy read. I mean, two guys ride around the country with a bag of white-out and sharpies, ready to fix grammar and spelling errors on signs and billboards everywhere?! Yes, please!
Alongside the tales of craziness and adventure from state to state are musings from the author concerning the nature of language and of his quest to correct the typos of the world - which adds a nice philosophical twist to things. By altering small town window displays, are our authors destroying a hint of classic charm or are they leveling the playing field when it comes to keeping up with the big dogs in advertising? Should historical errors be taken as pieces of nostalgia and history or should these too be subject to the wrath of our great editors?
And what happens when typo corrections -- at the Grand Canyon, of all places -- ends up being a matter of national security, resulting in a typo hunt in court?
Although the story got a teensy bit repetitive near the end, this was an overall amazing book that gave loads of entertainment as well as a few interesting gem about travel, history, and (of course) language.
While I totally understand that this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, THE GREAT TYPO HUNT will certainly find an audience with fellow book nerds and grammar police everywhere, I know!
Alongside the tales of craziness and adventure from state to state are musings from the author concerning the nature of language and of his quest to correct the typos of the world - which adds a nice philosophical twist to things. By altering small town window displays, are our authors destroying a hint of classic charm or are they leveling the playing field when it comes to keeping up with the big dogs in advertising? Should historical errors be taken as pieces of nostalgia and history or should these too be subject to the wrath of our great editors?
And what happens when typo corrections -- at the Grand Canyon, of all places -- ends up being a matter of national security, resulting in a typo hunt in court?
Although the story got a teensy bit repetitive near the end, this was an overall amazing book that gave loads of entertainment as well as a few interesting gem about travel, history, and (of course) language.
While I totally understand that this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, THE GREAT TYPO HUNT will certainly find an audience with fellow book nerds and grammar police everywhere, I know!
jennp28's review against another edition
This was great! I love the idea, and the book was well-written with some interesting side-bars thrown in. A must-read for anyone who cringes when you see someone say "your going to love it" or "its a must read for it's typo-correcting goodness!"
cmbwell's review against another edition
4.0
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.
I really enjoyed this book. It's nerdy but interesting, and surprisingly insightful.
I thought I found a typo near the bottom of page 77 ("...we made an heinous discovery.") but, given the subject matter that follows, it's more likely a play on pronunciation. The only other typo I noticed is a slight variation on a quote on the bottom of page 223: "And we also decided" is repeated as "And we'd also decided". The book was well-edited and that's fabulous because bad editing would have been the biggest downfall for a book about typos.
I really enjoyed this book. It's nerdy but interesting, and surprisingly insightful.
I thought I found a typo near the bottom of page 77 ("...we made an heinous discovery.") but, given the subject matter that follows, it's more likely a play on pronunciation. The only other typo I noticed is a slight variation on a quote on the bottom of page 223: "And we also decided" is repeated as "And we'd also decided". The book was well-edited and that's fabulous because bad editing would have been the biggest downfall for a book about typos.