Review of The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition

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The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition: jacket image
Throughout my career in children's publishing, the The Chicago Manual of Style has been the standard style reference for many book publishing companies, including children's book publishers--meaning that they use it to help them decide how to set up manuscripts from structure down to spelling. At intervals of several years, there's a new edition. The last one to make big changes was the 15th edition, which brought in new topics when it came out in 2003. But CMS continues to evolve. Things get moved around, topics get added, and as a result the 18th edition (2024) has 200 pages more than the 15th.

Contents of The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition: This edition sticks to a setup added in the 16th, which breaks it into 3 main parts: Publishing and Editing, Style and Usage, and Source Citations and Indexes. In Part 1 come chapters on the parts of a book and a magazine, manuscript preparation and editing, illustrations and tables, and rights and permissions (which includes a useful introduction to U.S. copyright law). Then in Part 2 are chapters on grammar and usage, followed by what has always seemed to me to be the meat of Chicago: detailed guidance on handling punctuation, spelling, names, numbers, abbreviations, foreign languages, and quotations and dialogue. In Part 3, sizable chapters on documentation of sources in notes and bibliographies and on creating indexes wrap up the body of the book. Then come a glossary, bibliography, and detailed index.

The 18th compared to the 15th edition: This edition is not as radically changed as the 15th, which introduced a new chapter on grammar and usage. Since then, they haven't added any new chapters, though chapters and topics have moved around. However, there are updates throughout to keep the guide current as publishing standards, electronic publishing, and the Internet continue to develop. In this edition, among other things, there is new information about formatting of non-English words, guidance in usage of they/them, and advice about AI usage and copyright consequences. For a complete rundown of what's new, I recommend this detailed list from the CMS people. Google searches will also give you some more filtered "takes" on the changes.

Comments: Chicago still subtitles itself "The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers." I think that is a valid claim. In this substantial reference book, you will find answers to many questions, and a consistent approach to deciding how to style a manuscript and a book. You may not always agree with their particular answer, but it will give you a starting point in deciding on your own style. The 18th edition is in active use by trade and academic book publishers, and so anyone with a copy of earlier editions will find that it will no longer "work" when consulted during copyediting of a manuscript. Even for topics that haven't changed, items in it are sequentially renumbered in each new edition, and those numbers are what copyeditors and others use when citing CMS for its guidelines on punctuation, capitalization, index style, and other thorny issues.

Overall, as I said in my review of the 15th edition, any revision of such an authoritative work as Chicago has become will not please everyone, but this is, to my mind, a necessary and highly useful update for the third decade of the 21st century.

Who Needs The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition: This is an expensive book, but if you work as a copyeditor or editor, or have a manuscript currently in development at a publisher, you'll need to get this new edition in order to be able to refer accurately to numbered items. If you are not actively working with a publisher, Chicago is a great desk reference to consult on many writing questions. If you can't afford this new edition, you can probably find used copies of the 17th or the 16th. I would not get or hold onto a copy of the 15th or earlier editions--it's time to upgrade! (Note that there is also an online version available for $48/year for individuals.)

More recommended books, magazines, and web sites (The complete Resources section from my Complete Idiot's Guide)

Where and How to Purchase The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (online):

You can, of course, also purchase CMS 18 at any bookstore. If they don't have it, they can order it for you.

This review is copyright © by Harold Underdown. If you wish to reproduce it, please see the Terms of use. Last modified 2/22/2026.

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