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When Amazon is done moving at the pace of glacial creep, I'll be reading this:

 

I am a history teacher. I showed my kids a passage from a soldier who was in Napoleon's army when Russia got invaded. The retreating Russians torched their villages and farm fields and slaughtered their livestock.

Because many of his soldiers got paid simply by acquiring spoils of war, they ditched winter coats in their knapsackss during the Fall to make room for things like silverware, jewelry and art. Well, the conflict lasted through the winter, and there was no food as every village they came across was burned, there were no animals to eat, and no food was found; not even animals to hunt because there was no food for them either. To eat, some of the officers carved chunks out of their horses (still alive), while others at dead ones that froze or starved to death.

Anyway, even worse, some of Napoleon's men slept in what was left of a barn one night, which later caught fire. This soldier awakened to see some of the troops were so starved that they were eating the charred remains of their fellow soldiers.

 

What did the Russians eat?

I heard soldiers in Washington's Army ate their own toes after they got frostbitten and broke off.

 

The Russians retreated to other towns and villages. They knew the area better than the invaders, and knew how bad the winters were. They had spies watching Napoleon's forces, and when they saw many of his men died from starvation, disease, or deserted, that's when they attacked

 

Good for you!

As a former teacher of high school English, I sometimes get a chill up my spine whenever I see improper usage. Spelling doesn't bother me much, and those of us who do not proofread what we've written after we have spent the time to type it out have only ourselves to blame when things go wrong. Those automatic spell checkers in just about every writing application have a tendency to second guess our typos, and replace something we've intended with something else that we did not.

Even today my biggest hangups are people who write or speak using misplaced modifiers and split infinitives. TV news people are especially guilty of this, but I understand that both of these sins of usage have become acceptable.

This book that I have just completed is an example of excellent production and editing; in fact, from syntax and Grammar perspectives, Ship of Fools is among the best written I have ever read. I found fewer than ten mistakes, including misspellings, in the entire book. In keeping with forum policy, there will be no political preaching from me, just a promise that you'll find this book an enjoyable read.

 

Re-reading this.

 

As I understand it, the split infinitive was never more than a hobgoblin of the little-minded teachers who were hung up on Latin. English is a separate language, and it has long since parted ways with... I was going to say "that mother tongue", but for English, I think it's more appropriate to say "that one of its many fathers".

Misplaced modifiers bug me, too, especially after decades of computer programming. In a programming language, putting a modifier in the wrong place can make your rocket suddenly point down instead of continuing to go up, and a double negative is positive, period.

But I've come to realize that English is art as well as science, and there is room for variation. That's why I can live with myself after I start a sentence, or even a paragraph, with a conjunction.

 

You, sir, are my hero of the day. There isn't a doubt in my mind you've managed to effortlessly trigger more than a few with a purely innocent and on-subject post. Bravo!

 

I have had a Kindle for many years and found out early-on about a website/service called BookBub. They send me daily lists of books for the Kindle, many of which are free. Just saying...

 

the only difference between 1st and 2nd edition is the tax information and some of the tables and picture have been updated

 

And she's a 'babe' too.........

In short order I'll have the 'me too's on my bacon........

 

Glad ya made it back Kaosleeroy, as we've all immutably hijacked your thread......

 

Elon Musk: Tesla SpaceX and Quest for a Fantastic Future
&
Algorithmic Trading & DMA by Barry Johnson

 

Yes, indeed, the one-time airport news stand novel that Hitchcock used for the movie.

 

Well, it is a lot easier to use a split infinitive, I confess. I never thought of those who attempted to teach proper English skills as little-minded, though. I decided shortly after I became a teacher—one year, to be exact—that I had had enough of being a disciplinarian instead of a teacher during most of my day, so I ventured into the world of academic publishing where I spent the next thirty some years. It was there that I discovered that PhD really did mean "piled higher and deeper."

 

Here's one I can't wait to read. I heard an interview with this guy and he really impressed me.

 

I'm still having fun with Mine To Mint by Roger Burdette. I have it searchable on the PC and the book.

 

Sounds like a winner!

Edit: Hmmm... ranked #6276 on Amazon doesn't seem like it's really a best-seller anywhere besides the NYT. Just sayin', Carlson's is #21.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,276 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

The little-minded ones were those saying that a split infinitive can't be correct, because it's impossible to split infinitives in Latin. The small-mindedness isn't in thinking one should teach proper English -- it's in thinking that proper English must ape proper Latin.

A split infinitive is frequently clearer and more concise. I argue that that should make it right. (Living language, you know; we don't need to be bound by the strictures of previous centuries.)

There's some truly dreadful writing out there, isn't there? I was lucky enough to write my dissertation under advisors who valued clarity above tradition. I was unlucky enough to work briefly for a scientist who criticized writing for "not sounding scientific enough" -- apparently he couldn't take a document seriously if it didn't use passive voice. He left before I could persuade him otherwise.