In his preface to Recurrent Maladies in Scholarly Writing, Eugene S. McCartney says, "During my lengthy service I have edited books in a great variety of subjects and have seen through the press over fourteen hundred articles reporting investigations in a dozen fields. . . . In spite of the great diversity of treatment and subject matter, the regularity with which manuscripts from the four corners of our land continue to tax editors' time, strength, knowledge, resourcefulness, and tact demonstrates the fundamental unity of our nation and our abiding adherence to the American way of life." His lavishly illustrated observations on the common mistakes of authors are both amusing and instructive.