Page:Chicago manual of style 1911.djvu/10

 INTRODUCTORY NOTE

The present work is a codification of the typographical rules employed by the University of Chicago in connection with its official printing and publications issued through the University Press. Having its genesis, nearly two decades ago, in a single sheet of fundamentals, jotted down by the first proofreader at odd moments for his own guidance; added to from year to year, as opportunity offered or new necessities rose; revised and re-revised as the scope of the work, and, it is hoped, the wisdom of the workers, increased&mdash;it emerges in its present form as the embodiment of traditions, the crystallization of usages, the blended product of the reflections of many minds.

Regulations like these, in the nature of the case, cannot be endowed with the fixity of unchanging law. They are meant for the average case, and must be applied with a certain degree of elasticity. Exceptions will constantly occur, and ample room is left for individual initiative and discretion. They point the way and survey the road, rather than remove the obstacles. Throughout this book it is assumed that no regulation contained therein is absolutely inviolable. Wherever the peculiar nature of the subject-matter, the desirability of throwing into relief a certain part of the argument, the reasonable preference v