Typos are exposed and ridiculed relentlessly on the internet, where it has become acceptable to guffaw at “howlers” and shame “clangers”. Drummond Moir’s hardly weighty book provides an antidote to many a nasty exultation in others’ mistakes. It is also a salve for one’s ego if one has ever erred with words. He reveals the futility of investing in perfectionism and delineates the long and amusing history of the typographic error. Without Moir’s touch of levity and understanding, this could have been just another nasty blog. His compilation crafts a pleasant space where you can enjoy haughty derision and not feel you are laughing at someone’s expense. It also addresses another problem associated with internet reading: a book is a more hygienic solution for those who read in the bathroom.
