Did you know you can now get an unlimited access free trial of the Chicago Manual of Style online? The trial period lasts 30 days, during which time you get to evaluate how you like accessing the book online. I signed up to see how I liked it and was happy with the results, especially the search feature, which made looking for those sometimes elusive details in the quite large CMS manual a bit easier and quicker.
If you don’t have a hard copy of the CMS manual at home already, and only need access to it for a short time, signing up for the free trial is a good way to get all the info you need without investing up to $50.00 for the hard copy.
However, if you’re an editor like myself, or someone who frequently writes in Chicago style and needs access to the manual beyond the 30 day trial period, it’s not the best deal around. You can sign up to continue unlimited access for a year for only $30.00. Not bad considering you can spend, as I mentioned, upwards of $50.00 for the hard copy; however, I’d personally rather not spend $30.00 on an ongoing yearly basis to access CMS online. Although I liked the search feature, I also like to mark my manuals with flags, marginalia, and by underlining certain important bits.
Cheers!
