The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time

---

But fate intervened between me and that dog. Halfway to my destination, a large white and red object -- appalling to any sensitive eye -- froze me in my tracks! The sign had been taunting passersby with that loathsome extra s for who knew how long. It hung on a wooden fence around a vacant lot next to a dentist's office. Sure, I'd noticed this sign before; dozens of walks to Davis Square had occasioned dozens of silent fist-shakings at this very spot.

This time, though, the sign's offense struck deeper. How many spelling mistakes had I noticed over the years in shop windows, street signs, menus, billboards, and other public venues? Each one on its own amounted to naught but a needle of irritation thrusting into my tender hide.

But together they constituted a larger problem, a social ill that cried out for justice. I stared at that no tresspassing sign, and I wondered: Could I be the one? What if I were to step forward and do something? The glare from the extra s seemed to mock me. Sure, others before me had recognized that there was a problem afoot in modern English.

Plenty of people had made much hay of ridiculing spelling and grammatical errors on late-night shows and in humor books and on websites weighted with snark. Who among them had ever bothered with actual corrective action? So far as I knew, not a soul. A lambent vision descended upon me, like the living wheels revealed unto Ezekiel. In it, I saw myself armed with Wite-Out and black marker, waging a campaign of holy destruction on spelling and grammatical mistakes. The picture widened to describe not just my neighborhood, not just the Boston area or even the august span of the Bay State, but the entire nation.

There was my answer -- typo hunting was the good that I, Jeff Deck, was uniquely suited to visit upon society. I turned back toward home, abandoning thoughts of hot dogs, and locked myself in my room, as typo-free a warren as one would expect. Typos might leap out from anywhere -- were, in fact, everywhere.

How should I go about this quest? And would I be alone in my fight, against the whole world?

The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

Then it all clicked into place, and the vision stuck. I already had one ally, the Sleipnir to my Odin: That road trip I'd wanted to take! This would be the motivational engine that I'd been missing. I think I collapsed onto the bed, the force of revelation knocking me unconscious, the proverbial lightbulb blinding me with its incandescent flare. Of course, I had also missed lunch. When I came to, I decided I should attempt another outing, but this one with much more purpose.

I immediately bought a sizable wall map of the United States and tacked it over my bed. With the sunset casting an eerie glow through my apartment, I stood enraptured by the sheer span of the nation. So many tiny names, so many roads. Quite a profusion of territory over which to spread the gospel of good grammar -- at least several thousand miles. I'd make a loop of the country's perimeter, since that seemed the best method for a seeing the most of this mammoth republic and b avoiding covering the same ground twice.

Are you sure about this? Are you sure, are you sure? True, my history did not especially glimmer with derring-do. First off, I had been terrified of driving at least until my early twenties, and my travels to date had never taken me west of Ohio; much of the country, most of it, lay beyond my ken.

That in itself could argue for the adventure, but I wondered if I might be getting in over my head, setting too many new challenges at once. I'd been shy growing up, not prone to speaking out of turn or, well, speaking much at all. Once I started going around the country trying to correct typos, I'd inevitably have to talk to other people.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this mission of mine would force me to continually confront strangers -- oftentimes over their own mistakes! How far did I honestly estimate that I had come from the meek days of yore? But off the clock, I don't c I'm an editor.

But off the clock, I don't care. I rarely find typos in novels or newspapers. If someone's Facebook status lacks grammar fundamentals, I don't comment with a fix. I shrug away extraneous quote marks on sandwich boards outside restaurants. I am not offended by these things, and I suspect that anyone who claims to be is either sanctimonious or pedantic.

Either way, I can't stand those people. They make me itchy. I thought I might find camaraderie with some guys traveling across the country correcting typos on signs and placards both outside and inside businesses. I thought it might be like On The Road for nerds. The zeal with which these guys attacked their cause was admirable, but I'm unconvinced that they succeeded in any way. So they fixed misspellings, correctly placed misplaced apostrophes, rerouted some sentences. Long passages explain their mission to impart an understanding of yadda yadda yadda. Maybe it pays off in the end, but I didn't stick around to find out; I bailed on the book on page As they point out on page 87, "Any sign that we noted along the entire trip could be gone tomorrow.

Oh, and I found a typo. Page 77, last paragraph, seventh line: I'm sure these guys would appreciate it. View all 3 comments. Aug 14, Sarah Wingo rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: So um, this book is awesome. I'm not even sure where to start with how awesomely well put together this book is guess that's what happens when an editor writes a book.

First of all Borders has it shelved in the "Writing Style" section of the store, and while I realize that it is about grammar and punctuation I feel that categorization it has been given is misleading. What this book achieves is not a dry or tedious lecture on grammatical style, but rather a Bill Bryson-esque travel writing styl So um, this book is awesome. What this book achieves is not a dry or tedious lecture on grammatical style, but rather a Bill Bryson-esque travel writing style which conveys a sense of fun and adventure to its reader.

This book manages to be engaging throughout, without losing steam near the end like some travel writers or just nonfiction writers in general I've encountered in the past. It also does an excellent job of exploring tangents without getting lost in them. One of the biggest and most pleasant surprises that awaited me in this book is how unpretentious the author is both Jeff and Benjamin are listed as the authors, but Jeff is the narrator so for now he's the author I'm going to refer to. What I love about him is that as he states many times it's not about catching someone making a mistake it is about setting the mistake right without judgment of the individual.

He is also continually considering the new points of view that the individuals he encounters bring up, which I really appreciate. Along these lines he does something truly amazing, he acknowledges a point which was bothering me from the very start of my reading. The fact that the standardization of grammar, punctuation and spelling is actually a relatively new thing only a couple of hundred years old. He acknowledges this fact without being dismissive or condescending and in fact uses it as an opportunity for an intelligent debate over how it informs his quest.

On a more personal note I knew pretty much from the get go that I was going to at least get a moderate amount of enjoyment out of this book. The author is only five years older than me and seems to share a great many interests with me and the sort of people I tend to befriend. This had the result of making all of his cultural references particularly amusing for me. He also manages to reference tons of books and authors without it sounding the least bit forced or pretentious. Every time I'd come across a reference to a book, author or cultural moment that I recognized and there were a lot I'd find myself smiling and loving him just a little bit more.

This isn't always the case, I've read plenty of books where the author's reference to a work of literature will leave me thinking "you're just saying that to sound intelligent, but really you're a moron. Feb 02, Jamie Collins rated it it was ok Shelves: I love the concept of this book. They take before and after photographs and keep score of typos found vs. Some business owners are agreeable and even grateful for the corrections. Some are indifferent, but permit the mistakes to be fixed. Others stubbornly refuse to allow corrections. The guys take care to make any corrections as subtle a I love the concept of this book.

The guys sometimes make changes surreptitiously, without asking for permission first, and in one instance this gets them into pretty bad trouble. There was something about the narrative tone that put me off. For one thing, the author writes florid prose - mostly to be funny, I realize, but I found it annoying. There is entirely too much stuff like: He makes a big deal about the Typo Hunt being a personal journey, his humble attempt to change the world, and yet he pauses in his pilgrimage to give interviews and to allow a TV camera crew to film him in action.

But I did love that they often stopped at used bookstores! Mar 04, Jafar rated it it was ok. So these two dorks decide to take a few months off work, go around the country in a big road trip, find all the publicly displayed typos, and correct as many as they can. The self-mocking style of writing feels juvenile, and quickly becomes flat and loses the intended humorous effects. And that seems to be the problem. People are too cool to care about spelling and grammar and punctuation. The general response is something like: You will be called illiterate. The kids graduate from high school and college just fine.

Nov 08, Velma rated it liked it Recommends it for: You should know that had I written my review before finishing the book, it might have been a '1-star', or maybe a '2-star' affair; which is to say, since I eventually awarded this book 3 stars, that it gets better so don't, when you inevitably want to, bail on this book. The reason I feel so torn is not because the premise isn't an intriguing one it is , nor is it because the author can't write he can. No, it's because the author often writes too much.

Deck's self-described style of "self-parodying pomposity" read like actual pomposity. His use of tortured imagery "No one else has ever cut such a finely limned cookie on the dried batter of my heart. Those complaints aside, maybe Mr. Deck had his thesaurus planted, if not in his lap, firmly in his cheek. Eventually, the overwrought passages both grew on me and gave way to some interesting discussions of the bigger picture behind the portrait of a couple of typo hunters: Walmartization, prescriptive and descriptive approaches to grammar and punctuation, and the methods used in the U.

I found the expository passages much more compelling and less overworked than the descriptive bits. And when Deck dove into the history of dictionaries, I got all moist. So, if, like me, your panties get all bunched up when you see an it's where an its should be, pick this little travelogue up and stick with it. And if you are reading this Mr. Deck, when you next pen a volume, be sure to follow Coco Chanel's advice: PS - I was wrong about the P's and Q's comment in my progress notes.

View all 15 comments. Apr 23, Steve P rated it did not like it. I've seldom read so tiresome, annoying, trivial, and relentlessly unfunny a book. Being an editor myself, I thought this was a great idea for a book--traveling across the country fixing the kind of nearly ubiquitous errors that rile me to no end.

It is indeed a bad idea for a book, but, as the book's main editor who is thanked profusely in the "Acknowledgments" no doubt perceived, the originality of its conception and the youthfulness of its author attracted the media's attention I've seldom read so tiresome, annoying, trivial, and relentlessly unfunny a book. It is indeed a bad idea for a book, but, as the book's main editor who is thanked profusely in the "Acknowledgments" no doubt perceived, the originality of its conception and the youthfulness of its author attracted the media's attention and thus turned the book into a money maker.

In fact, I suspect that editor had a hand in the actual writing of the book--a very heavy hand, it turns out, because it's weighted down with innumerable, unbearable "literary" turns of phrase transparently contrived to amuse the reader. For example, Chapter 7 begins: Markers and pens and elixir of correction are important, but oh how vital to have the most basic of typo-hunting tools, the ones physically yoked to your head, in good working order.

And not only "yoked" but "physically yoked"! The writer is so unaware that he's creating a metaphor that he betrays his ignorance by insisting that the eyes are indeed "physically" yoked to one's head. And are we really to be amused by the phrase "convalesced enough to actually permit vision," rather than, say, "healed enough so that I could see"? Any editor with a feeling for naturalness of style would have recoiled at this passage, but I suspect the editor had something to do with writing it.

And how about this opening, to Chapter First of all, you don't "crack" open a mussel, you cook it until it opens; second, likening an entire city to a mussel is so goofy and is obviously a turn on the cliche, "the world is your oyster" it's embarrassing; and third, the effect of the simile--to emphasize the connection of San Francisco and good seafood--is trite, trite, trite.

Again, I suspect the editor encouraged this when she should have rapped the writer's knuckles with a ruler and if the editor had edited this comment she would have changed "ruler" to "ferule" to give it that humorously literary, in-joke sort of style. Add to this the writer's endlessly repetitive and completely unconvincing relevations about the importance of his self-assigned mission and his trivial and pointless ruminations on politics and society and this book quickly becomes intolerable.

Finally, in the first edition of the book in hardcover , the writer betrays his ignorance of the rules governing the placement of the period and comma in relationship to quotation marks. There are three "typos" related to this on pages I guess the writer has a beam "yoked" to his own eye. And while I'm toying with Biblical allusions--the writer should have "unyoked" his own eye and cast it aside rather than have departed on his quest to begin with. Mar 20, Dolly rated it really liked it Recommends it for: I rather enjoyed this story.

It takes a few not-so-recent college graduates on a journey of exploration I love that it ends up being a journey of self-discovery as well as a lesson in humility. My one complaint is that the authors use too many "cent" words. They caution the reader to self-edit and review. I think they should have edited their own book a bit more to use less flowery language see the list of I rather enjoyed this story.

I think they should have edited their own book a bit more to use less flowery language see the list of thirty words below for an example. I found humor in the fact that Jeff Deck is very proud of his sci-fi and Dungeons and Dragons geekiness. I like that he pays homage to Shel Silverstein in a very subtle way: Finally, I like that we are given a short history lesson about dictionaries as well as the evolution of grammar and the English language. I suppose I would describe myself as a Grammar Hawk, but I think I can appreciate the que sera sera attitude of the Grammar Hippie too.

Number out of on my all time book list. Follow the link below to see my video review: Jun 30, Traci rated it it was amazing. As someone who now has a small gig proofreading for a small publisher, I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. If you are a self-proclaimed "grammar nazi," then this book is for you. If you've ever looked at a sign in public and shaken your head at a horrible misspelling, this book is for you.

A Man, A Plan And A Sharpie: 'The Great Typo Hunt'

Besides all the great typos Deck found and trust me, there are some real d As someone who now has a small gig proofreading for a small publisher, I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. Besides all the great typos Deck found and trust me, there are some real doozies in here and the fun travel adventures who hasn't had some sort of disaster happen on a road trip? For example, after the blog has been up and running for a little while, Deck and Benjamin land in Galveston, where they correct "Davy Jones Locker" with an apostrophe and an additional "s": No sooner do they post the pics of their success than the proverbial grammar poo hits the fan.

Several comments show up blasting the pair for the additional "s", claiming that it's not necessary according to AP style, and that "everyone" knows that. Which made our heroes discuss which style, exactly, they were using when performing their feats of grammatical daring. As Deck himself points out, which style guideline you follow depends on what you do for a living: But if you're a medical writer, you're going to pull out your trustworthy APA Guide.

And finally, if you're an author fiction and non-fiction both , you're going to be intimately familiar with the tome that is The Chicago Manual of Style. In the end, Deck puts it quite nicely. To all those that are concerned about the "right" or "wrong" way to correct an error, he says this: At first, TEAL attempts a lot of "stealth" corrections, trying to leave the written world a better place but without taking any credit for it.

Stanford Libraries

Then Deck and his partners especially Benjamin start asking to change the errors, sometimes with great results, but more often finding attitude. Several retail-type employees simply refer to the fact that "they" didn't make the signs, and "they" don't have the authority to do anything about it. Other retail jockeys have an apathetic attitude of "whatever" - so the corrections happen. The authors also discovered that while people understood that there were errors in the signage, they were often loathe to have it "corrected" for fear it would look Which really surprised our grammar sticklers, as they thought the tackier sign would be the one that was misspelled.

To each his own, I suppose. But it did make for good conversations about how people take criticism, any criticism, even if it's not really directed at them. As I said in the beginning of this review, I loved this book. Highly recommended to all. And people - let's watch the grammar out there! Jan 28, Sheila rated it it was amazing Shelves: I remember reading about "the great typo hunt" in the papers—which are, of course, a valuable source of lesser typos. So I reserve a special sympathy for those whose signage lacks accuracy.

Still, with a book like The Great Typo Hunt those quiet smiles might be quickly overtaken by laughing out loud. Jeff Deck and his fellow typo-hunters certainly found a fun and intriguing collection, and tell the tale quite delightfully, with all the right accompaniment of hilarious images and self-doubt—do we need rules, who sets the rules, why are the rules how they are, and who can learn them anyway?

Jeff Deck set off on a trip around the States to correct typos, using his natural skills to better the world of American signs, and communicating with a wealth of fascinating people on the way. Herson accompanied him on part of his journey, most significantly on the part that garnered the greatest newspaper attention. The story is told with amusing candor in non-threatening tone with educational overtones, and lots to think about. When this book comes out in paperback I shall buy my own copy.

I borrowed this book from a friend who bought it from a store where one of the authors works. Jan 31, Katie rated it it was ok. I'm one of those people who spots typos everywhere - restaurant menus, shop signs, etc. A few pages in, though, I wasn't sure I'd make it through the first chapter, let alone the whole book. Deck is a guy who won't use one word when he might use three, and those three are words that are apt to come up on someone's SAT vocab study list. Every few paragraphs, I'd read a sentence aloud to encourage groaning I'm one of those people who spots typos everywhere - restaurant menus, shop signs, etc.

Every few paragraphs, I'd read a sentence aloud to encourage groaning commiseration from my husband, but I soldiered on, hoping things would mellow out a bit as the guys finally hit the road. And it did, to some degree. The chapter or two when Deck would discuss issues including how spelling is taught in American schools, or how spelling does or does not relate to spoken language and how it all became codified through history, are pleasant to read - he sticks to the business and relates information in a friendly, clear way.

But when back to his own travels - and worst, when writing about his girlfriend, alluding to the fact that they have sex, and insinuating that she only talks in baby-talk and pet names - his self-mythologizing over-writing is just way too much to take. Apr 15, HoopoeGirl rated it really liked it. Anyone who enjoys the English language will likely enjoy this book.

What starts out as a light-hearted, jovial adventure turns into a deeper awareness of human nature, our use of language and the necessarily fluid nature a living language must adopt. Like that omitted Oxford comma. Sorry, folks, but I'm an AP girl. As expected, Deck's writing is impeccable and it was delightful to read such technically well-crafted prose. After finishing the book, I was curious as to whether that second tour o Anyone who enjoys the English language will likely enjoy this book. After finishing the book, I was curious as to whether that second tour occurred and was happy to find that TEAL's website re-emerged post-NP gag order.

See a Problem?

Although it is unfortunate that I keep transposing the website's URL to greatpottyhunt out of my peripheral vision. Oct 11, Victoria rated it really liked it. I laughed out loud through parts of this fun, quirky book, not something I usually do. The idea behind the story is incredibly simple: But Deck draws you into the story, with cliffhangers at nearly every chapter end. In the prefaces to each chapter he imagines himself a grammar superhero, fighting the dark powers of ignorance and defensiveness. He questions why he is doing this, and ends up on all kinds of interesting tangent I laughed out loud through parts of this fun, quirky book, not something I usually do.

He questions why he is doing this, and ends up on all kinds of interesting tangents about language, history and life in modern America. Lovers of language and anyone who has ever been outraged by an improperly placed apostrophe will enjoy this. Jan 10, M. Kinkade rated it it was amazing.

I think I've found my intellectual soulmate! Ok, now that I've finished the book I love the way Deck analyzes not only his trip, but the value of language, the changes over time and culture, and the value of education. It's SUCH an informative and inspiring read. Count me in as a member of TEAL! Sep 07, Sonja rated it it was ok Shelves: I liked the concept a lot, but it seemed strung out a bit too long - maybe I felt like that because the mock-heroic style got on my nerves after a while. Apr 26, Dayle rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: I would give this more stars if I could!

I learned of Jeff Deck and his "mission" only recently when I found an old Reader's Digest with a bookmark in it. Then I spotted this book! A few pennies on amazon and it was on its way. When this book arrived, I put everything aside and began my journey with Jeff and Benjamin! I must admit to being on the lookout for typos but found NONE and they won my heart with their story. I have purchased more for some friends who can appreciate the hunt. Thank you for one of the most enjoyable reads I have ever come across. Aug 18, Jim Thomsen rated it really liked it.

When I was about Jeff Deck's age, I could relate to being to at loose ends with my career and my life. I wish I'd had the idea that Deck had — to take a trip around the United States finding and correcting typos in public signage, and to blog about it along the way in hopes of drawing attention to the cause. I had the chops, churlishness and willingness, but I spent a year working in Yellowstone instead.

Deck's idea was a bit of an ill-defined monkeyshine at the time, with some predictably ill When I was about Jeff Deck's age, I could relate to being to at loose ends with my career and my life. Deck's idea was a bit of an ill-defined monkeyshine at the time, with some predictably ill-advised results. But as the miles rolled behind them, it evolved in ways he couldn't possibly foresee into the mature and relevant language debate that fueled "The Great Typo Hunt," his book with road-buddy, muse and devil's advocate, Benjamin Herson. That latter quality is what elevates the book above a road-buddy tale along snark-infested waters.

Both are off-the-charts smart: Deck is a bit of a wiseass, with a obnoxiously showoffy vocabulary he reminds me of me, which is bad. Herson is the more direct, and even occasionally rude, member of the duo. But he's also an invaluable counterweight to the moments when Deck is caught drifting off thematic course. But the two quickly embrace the spirit of the quest as their encounters with typo-makers and subsequent long road-hours give them ample time to reflect on the changing nature of language and how people relate to both language and change.

They realize that for all the objective errors they identify, other noncomformities they encounter arise out of honest but differing interpretations of the same shared language. As we all come to realize, there's really a lot that is neither strictly "right" or "wrong" when it comes to differences of view on language.

• Sonata in F major - K518/P390/L116
• Situational Hazard
• Joanies Street
• DAVID JANSSEN - MY FUGITIVE
• Vindictive Lust