On the Mark

Name: On the Mark
Brand: Profile Books
Price: 42.75 AUD
Availability: PreOrder

A History of Punctuation from Ancient Egypt to the Emoticon

By: Florence Hazrat

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Hardcover | 22 September 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.3

Hardcover

RRP $49.99

$42.75

14%OFF

or 4 interest-free payments of $10.69 with

Available: 22nd September 2026

Preorder. Will ship when available.

The first global history of punctuation tells the story of the marks that give voice to the written word.

So. Good. So. Sharp. So. Clear. You. Need. This. Book. Period' Lucy Mangan, author of Bookish

Why does this sentence start with a capital letter?

Why is this one broken up - and why does it end in a question mark?

Does anyone really know what semicolons are for; why are italics italicised, and why do words have spaces between them?

Punctuation turns written words into meaningful language, inflecting them with nuance and tone: it can be the difference between a nice surprise! And a nasty ending...

Florence Hazrat's ground-breaking history of punctuation stretches from the ancient past to into the digital realms of today, from the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the emoji, the birth of the printing press to the death of the Oxford Comma.
In this definitive biography of the marks that give voice to our written words, and the characters that have shaped their usage, Hazrat reveals their richly storied past and how punctuation is evolving and more important than ever as we move from the printed page to the digital screen.
A deeply researched treasure trove that wears its knowledge lightly, On the Mark is a fascinating odyssey through time and place for language lovers everywhere.

This wonderful history of punctuation is also a history of the world. In Hazrat's hands, every story has a point, and every point a story -- Simon Garfield, author of THE PEN & JUST MY TYPE

A thought-provoking history of language's unsung dots and squiggles. Punctuation may be silent, but thankfully there's Hazrat to tell the tale -- Eli Burnstein, author of DICTIONARY OF FINE DISTINCTIONS

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