Big Books of 2026

Shady Characters Quotes

Rate this book
Clear rating
1 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks by Keith Houston
2,142 ratings, 3.96 average rating, 380 reviews
Open Preview
Shady Characters Quotes Showing 1-2 of 2
“Both marks were formed by single pen-strokes named virgulae, the diminutive of the Latin virga for "rod" or "staff", or even, in medieval slang, "penis".”
― Keith Houston, Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols & Other Typographical Marks
0 likes
Like
“Rumors of the footnote’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.”
― Keith Houston, Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, & Other Typographical Marks
0 likes
Like

All Quotes
Quotes By Keith Houston