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On the Mark: From Periods to Interrobangs, How Punctuation Remade the World
Not yet published
Expected 11 Aug 26A lively history of punctuation, from ancient times to the age of the emoji
You know the lively exclamation mark, the controversial semicolon, and the often-omitted apostrophe, but would you recognize a percontation point? How about an obelus? In this irreverent and delightfully intellectual book, Florence Hazrat argues that all punctuation marks, from the most forgotten to the most ubiquitous, are worthy of our attention. After all, the history of punctuation is the history of humankind.
The first punctuation mark was a triangular symbol pressed into clay somewhere in Mesopotamia. Spaces between words were unknown for millennia, until a group of Irish monks pioneered spaces between words in the eighth century. Across ages and cultures, amid technological revolutions and radical changes in communication, these dots and dashes have reshaped the societies that created them. From the papyruses of the ancient world to our sprawling internet ecosystem, one thing has remained Punctuation is powerful. These tiny marks can move markets, shift elections, topple political systems, and decide the fate of a precious human life on death row.
Weaving together anthropology, the history of writing, the philosophy of language, psychology, literature, and more, On the Mark masterfully proves that punctuation is at the heart of human communication.
You know the lively exclamation mark, the controversial semicolon, and the often-omitted apostrophe, but would you recognize a percontation point? How about an obelus? In this irreverent and delightfully intellectual book, Florence Hazrat argues that all punctuation marks, from the most forgotten to the most ubiquitous, are worthy of our attention. After all, the history of punctuation is the history of humankind.
The first punctuation mark was a triangular symbol pressed into clay somewhere in Mesopotamia. Spaces between words were unknown for millennia, until a group of Irish monks pioneered spaces between words in the eighth century. Across ages and cultures, amid technological revolutions and radical changes in communication, these dots and dashes have reshaped the societies that created them. From the papyruses of the ancient world to our sprawling internet ecosystem, one thing has remained Punctuation is powerful. These tiny marks can move markets, shift elections, topple political systems, and decide the fate of a precious human life on death row.
Weaving together anthropology, the history of writing, the philosophy of language, psychology, literature, and more, On the Mark masterfully proves that punctuation is at the heart of human communication.
- GenresNonfiction
352 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication August 11, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
On the Mark was a fun exploration of the history of punctuation, from marks still in use today to those that never caught on or fell by the wayside. It was interesting to follow the story of punctuation from its tentative beginnings to its more prominent uptake with the advent of printing and the mass production of texts. While it was fascinating to look at the political implications and uses of punctuation, there was one chapter where the author lost me a little when she veered, to my mind, too much away from neutrality and into the expression of personal political opinions. However, this was only a minor interlude and I was happy to get back on course in the next chapter again. If you are interested in the history of language and writing and/or are a keen editor or grammarian, this book is certain to appeal, and I am giving it 4.5 stars. Overall, it was presented in a fun and engaging manner while also imparting useful knowledge and cultural tidbits.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A very detailed, and thorough account of punctuation throughout time. Hazrat balances an entertaining writing style while intricately articulating the nuances of our marks. My favorite parts of the book; the small factoids about proposed punctuation that never was: The titular interrobang and the love point; the chapter about editing (Dickinson and Whitman had their punctuation meddled with apparently) and the emoticon/emoji chapter (the Unicode Consortium’s control of our common use emojis is a level of ‘top down’ language control that is pretty unique to our history. . . I never thought about this until Hazrat pointed this out)
Beyond the interesting tidbits, there is an overarching argument here, that punctuation matters. It has had material consequences (it has sparked revolutions and has supported dictatorial and genocidal regimes), and without our careful attention and critical engagement, we are left blind to its powers.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Beyond the interesting tidbits, there is an overarching argument here, that punctuation matters. It has had material consequences (it has sparked revolutions and has supported dictatorial and genocidal regimes), and without our careful attention and critical engagement, we are left blind to its powers.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Basic Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review
Super exciting book for people who are language nerds (it’s me I’m people).
I love that this book isn’t only about the English language and I also love that the author talks about new forms of communication, and how we may use things like hashtag and emojis (or if you’re French the word Putain) as our ancestors used punctuation. We obviously didn’t need punctuation when very few people could read and write, so the history of punctuation is also the history of communication. The last part about Gen AI and what it changes for humans and our thinking process is really interesting.
Now there are a few passages that I found were a bit oversimplifying things or overreaching, which is why this isn’t 5 stars. Still a really good book.
Super exciting book for people who are language nerds (it’s me I’m people).
I love that this book isn’t only about the English language and I also love that the author talks about new forms of communication, and how we may use things like hashtag and emojis (or if you’re French the word Putain) as our ancestors used punctuation. We obviously didn’t need punctuation when very few people could read and write, so the history of punctuation is also the history of communication. The last part about Gen AI and what it changes for humans and our thinking process is really interesting.
Now there are a few passages that I found were a bit oversimplifying things or overreaching, which is why this isn’t 5 stars. Still a really good book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews