Several years ago an editor friend and I started an organization called ELEAS - the English Language Editors' Association. We still argue about that apostrophe in the title.

Hey, wait, calm down. I know what you're thinking, but you are reading the right article. This article is about numbering pages. I'm leading up to something...

ELEAS sponsored lectures on various topics. I volunteered to speak about the comma.

You might not think that there is much to say about something as tiny, as seemingly insignificant, and as apparently forgettable as a comma. However, my presentation lasted for three and a half hours.

The very fact that the comma was not a major or integral part of the lives of many participants in that distinguished group of text editors, made that lecture so important. It was a niche topic.

The following series of articles about page numbers and numbering follows the same concept. Yes, this series is indeed about graphics and desktop publishing. Many books and articles have been written about that general topic. Read them if you like. However, this series discusses a niche area that may never have been discussed comprehensively - the number on the page. Those who complete this series may feel the way the participants felt after the lecture on the comma.

Click here for the next installment in this series, which will introduce the topic of page numbering for desktop publishers.