XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: hayesstw@telkomsa.net   
      
   On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:21:26 +1000, Michael Cole    
   wrote:   
      
   >Sandman laid this down on his screen :   
   >   
   >> On a side note, what's up with the slashes for emphasis? Where did you   
   >> pick that up? I don't mind it, just curious. You seem to use it both   
   >> for emphasis and quoting.   
   >   
   >Slashes generally indicate that the text should be thought of as in   
   >/italics/.  Just as *asterisks* for bold and _underlines_ for   
   >underline.   
      
   Actually using _underlines_ is to indicate _italics_.   
      
   That's a hangover from old typewriters, which couldn't do italics, and so   
   underlining text was an indication to the typesetter that the underlined parts   
   must be set in italics.   
      
   Now that most printers can do italics, there is no need to underline text at   
   all, except when editing, to indicate something that has been inserted by the   
   editor, just as strike-through indicates something the editor has crossed out.   
      
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes   
   Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/litmain.htm   
        http://www.goodreads.com/hayesstw   
        http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius   
      
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