I was with Whittemore when he received for review his editor's final cut of Quin's Shanghai Circus and recall he was less than pleased that the commas, not the inverted kind, he had left out by design were edited in.

--Previous Message--
: Hi Jean-Daniel,
: Getting back to you on the lack of inverted
: commas issue.
: I'm sorry for the wait, but Whittemore's
: editor Tom Wallace has only just got back to
: me.
: He says (and I quote directly from his
: email):
: "NO, Ted didn't use quotation marks; he
: will in all likelihood turn over in his grave
: if his translators turn out to be pedantic!.
: So hold the fort, please, when consulted!
: Tell all and sundry, he's a writer not a
: grammerian!. "
: So there you have it - no quotation marks is
: the Whittemore style.
: Anne
:
: --Previous Message--
: Hi Jean-Daniel,
: Regarding the issue of no quotation marks for
: dialogues, there were I believe a few
: grumbles when the books first came out - from
: pedants. I must admit I didn't even notice
: the lack of inverted commas when I read the
: books way back when or even now. It is really
: quite extraordinary that the writing is so
: good that one overlooks something like that.
: The conversations always make sense and one
: always knows who is speaking.
: I could ask Whittemore's editor why there
: were no quotation marks. His answer might be
: interesting and illuminating.
: I'll let you know.
: I would be interested in other visitors
: opinions on this question.
: Anne
:
: --Previous Message--
: Thanks for the warm welcome.
: I'll most certainly send you a cover image
: for the French edition(s).
: I've a question for all: were there any
: reactions to the idiosyncratic typography of
: the books (no inverted commas for the
: dialogues)?
: My editor wants me to respect Whittemore's
: text, but I'd better have my arguments ready
: if anyone else at the publisher's wants me to
: be more traditional ;-)
: Best,
: Jean-Daniel
: --Previous Message--
: Jean-Daniel,
: That is indeed good news. I'd be delighted to
: provide any help I can. Please contact me by
: email if you have any questions.
: Any chance of cover images for the French
: Editions whenever they become available?
: There is a Dutch version of Sinai Tapestry
: being released in July this year.
: Regards,
: Anne
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