Book Review: On the Mark by Florence Hazrat (Non-Fiction)

On the Mark
Florence Hazrat
Basic Books
11 August 2026
352
eBook - PDF
Non-Fiction
ARC via NetGalley

You know the lively exclamation mark, the controversial semicolon, and the often-omitted apostrophe, but would you recognize a percontation point? How about an obelus? In this irreverent and delightfully intellectual book, Florence Hazrat argues that all punctuation marks, from the most forgotten to the most ubiquitous, are worthy of our attention. After all, the history of punctuation is the history of humankind. 
 
The first punctuation mark was a triangular symbol pressed into clay somewhere in Mesopotamia. Spaces between words were unknown for millennia, until a group of Irish monks pioneered spaces between words in the eighth century. Across ages and cultures, amid technological revolutions and radical changes in communication, these dots and dashes have reshaped the societies that created them. From the papyruses of the ancient world to our sprawling internet ecosystem, one thing has remained Punctuation is powerful. These tiny marks can move markets, shift elections, topple political systems, and decide the fate of a precious human life on death row. 
 
Weaving together anthropology, the history of writing, the philosophy of language, psychology, literature, and more, On the Mark masterfully proves that punctuation is at the heart of human communication.

 

On the Mark was a fun exploration of the history of punctuation, from marks still in use today to those that never caught on or fell by the wayside. It was interesting to follow the story of punctuation from its tentative beginnings to its more prominent uptake with the advent of printing and the mass production of texts. While it was fascinating to look at the political implications and uses of punctuation, there was one chapter where the author lost me a little when she veered, to my mind, too much away from neutrality and into the expression of personal political opinions. However, this was only a minor interlude and I was happy to get back on course in the next chapter again. If you are interested in the history of language and writing and/or are a keen editor or grammarian, this book is certain to appeal, and I am giving it 4.5 stars. Overall, it was presented in a fun and engaging manner while also imparting useful knowledge and cultural tidbits.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.