The International Bestseller - Featured on BBC Radio 4

Love it or hate it, the exclamation mark has endured an enthusiastic history from Beowulf to spam emails – a fascinating story for language lovers!

Few punctuation marks provoke as much love or hate as the exclamation mark. It's full of excitement and emotion, an emotional amplifier letting the reader know: emotions here! Scott Fitzgerald stated that exclamation marks are like laughing at your own joke, while Terry Pratchett had a character say that multiple !!! is a “sure sign of a diseased mind.” So what's the deal with the !?

"An Admirable Point" reclaims the exclamation mark from its humble position in the hierarchical world of punctuation marks. It explores how the ! originated around six hundred years ago, and reveals the many ways in which the ! has made its mark on art, literature, (pop) culture, and almost every sphere of human activity – from Beowulf to spam emails, ee cummings to neuroscience.

Whether you believe it is overused, or you add it enthusiastically to your writing, the ! is unavoidable.

Pages: 176, Year of Publication: 1103, Dimensions: 13.6x13.6cm