Being somewhat obsessed with the proper use of punctuation, I am often to be found taking photos of bad examples (of punctuation) or to be heard bemoaning the fact that some people don't know how to use it correctly. So, I was very pleased to find a copy of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" in a charity shop. Of course, I bought the book and spent the next few hours reading it and delighting in the fact that I had found another human being who felt as I did about punctuation. (And, yes, I know that I may not be perfect in the administration of all and every punctuation mark).
Just a reminder of how the book came to be titled that way: The story goes: A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wild-life manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
"I'm a panda," he says, at the door, "Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."
Just a reminder of how the book came to be titled that way: The story goes: A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.
"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wild-life manual and tosses it over his shoulder.
"I'm a panda," he says, at the door, "Look it up."
The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.
"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."