The Chicago Manual of Style

Excellent manual.

There is not much to say about this book's content, since it's more of a reference. Nevertheless, it is well-formatted and easy to find what you're looking for. The digital version is likely more useful when doing digital work, but this is extremely helpful nevertheless. ( )

A classic. The bible of style guides. ( )

The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. You cannot write or publish professionally if you don't have one of these. The best writers in the world still consult one of these things on occasion. Despise stylebooks, refuse to use them and poke fun at those who do? The world will never hear of you. ( )

The Chicago Manual of Style: Seventeenth Edition presents the current formatting and citation style used in history writing. While much of the material has appeared elsewhere online, specifically the citation guidelines, the book itself is a necessary resource for all who study and write history as it includes, perhaps most importantly, William S. Strong’s guide to rights, permissions, and copyright administration – an invaluable resource in a time when an increasing amount of scholarship occurs online in formats of nebulous official copyright. Other guides include those focusing on grammar, which helps to answer questions about the usage of “a” and “an,” particularly as they relate to new shorthands and terms of the digital age. Overall, this is a must-read for all who seek to write history. ( )

About 1/3 of the book is great for citations. The rest is relatively useless since comma efficacy is not a great concern among the same population which is purchasing this book. ( )