Pause and Effect

Pause and Effect offers an introduction to the history of punctuation in the West, identifying some of the broader circumstances which have influenced its development; for example, the practices of the early scribes, changing attitudes to the written word and the impact of printing. The core of the book comprises examples and plates taken from a wide range of manuscripts from different periods and languages; by focusing on evidence of the practice itself the reader is able to compare usages of different periods and to test the author's observations.