“The Speck that Changed the World” should perhaps have taken precedence over the dot itself in terms of the purported subject matter: Humez & Humez meander all the way around a cornucopia (a horn of plenty, as you will learn if you read On the Dot) of subjects and disciplines related to, but not strictly or immediately about the dot as it exists in written communication throughout the entirety of the book.

As far as information about the dot goes, if you’re looking for a pretty purely historical retelling of the story of the dot in academic style, this is probably not going to cut it. However. If you’re in the mood for sauntering along in a manner much like a flâneur might, then this dense stream of consciousness will surely charm and delight you!

Humez & Humez (I don’t believe they did conclude how exactly to address more than one Humez at a time, although they addressed the issue) will introduce you to more interesting odd facts than you knew you wanted to know about. Jumping from an in-depth look at the proofreading business to the use of the dot in computer programming, they graze lightly upon the topic of punctuation being introduced into Latin texts (you would expect a lot more focus to go here, but it receives equal dedication as do the pop culture references along with the other paraphernalia) before jumping into Latin abbreviations, e.g. e.g., i.e., ibid., etc.. The authors meander completely around the dot, touching on almost anything you could come up with to do with it… with the consequence that, ironically enough, they don’t seem to stay much on point. The thing is, though, that all these subjects are related, if a bit tenuously and in ways you didn’t know you cared to know. And so I’m going to recommend this book, more as a collection of odd facts only just held together by the subject at hand than an in-depth look at the history of the dot in writing. If you have a bit of time to spare from your leisure, then, why not dive into this multifarious trove of tenuous connections that is this book?