while I'm bitching...

[winterbadger]

I'm continuing to read this book about the Argylls in Iraq, but the bad job that was done editing it is bothering me more and more. The narrative is all over the place, jumping backward and forward in time without warning or reason. Characters are mentioned without ever being introduced. Acronyms are used without ever being explained. E.g., a lot of the soldiers named in the narrative are from the Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment (PWRR), but 'the PWRR' is referred to throughout without it ever being defined. There is no index. Totally irrelevant facts are thrown in higgledy piggledy with relevant ones. Other information is completely omitted, without which a reader who isn't familiar with the way the British Army works or with modern British society (or British geography) would be completely lost.

The crowning moment (so far) came, however, when a soldier was told he needed to go to hospital in 'Shauncliff'. Not in a quotation, just spelled that way in text.

The British army barracks in question is at SHORNCLIFFE, Kent.

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

Did someone really get paid to edit this book? If so, the publisher (Mainstream Publishing or Edinburgh) should be pursuing that individual for a refund...

Comments

[pisica.livejournal.com]

While I'm remembering: take the following sentence.

Winterbadger said, "boy, that is a stupid editing job."

Is 'boy' capitalized??? I am editing stuff for a German guy and I never know what to do about this, to the extent where I ignore it (with his permission).

[janewilliams20.livejournal.com]

Everything inside those quotes is a complete sentence, so yes, you capitalise the first letter. At least, I do :)

[winterbadger]

Yeah, what Jane said.

"Boy, that is a stupid editing job."

"I said to her, 'Boy, that is a stupid editing job.'"

But

"Gosh, I don't know, but oh boy, that is a stupid editing job."