Madam, – John Banville (Arts Books, Weekend Review, March 5th) questions a missing hyphen in the title Chambers 20th Century Dictionary? More to the point, I suggest, is the lack of consistency in the titling of this useful volume, and the disappearing apostrophe and letter.
My 1961 version is entitled Chambers’s Twentieth Century Dictionary. By 1972, this had become Chamber’s Twentieth Century Dictionary, which presumably would have been correct only if the original publishers had been succeeded by Messrs Chamber and Co, which they were not.
Publishers Chambers Harrap Co presently market their Chambers 21st Century Dictionary.
Whither from here – txtspk? – Yours, etc,