Book excerpt: The GPO Style Manual, as it is popularly known, is issued under the authority of section 1105 of title 44 of the U.S. Code, which requires the Director of the GPO to "determine the form and style in which the printing . . . ordered by a department is executed, . . . having proper regard to econ-omy, workmanship, and the purposes for which the work is needed." The Manual is prepared by the GPO Style Board, composed of proofreading, printing, and Government documents specialists from within GPO, where all congressional publications and many other key Government documents are prepared.The first GPO Style Manual appeared in 1894. It was developed origi-nally as a printer's stylebook to standardize word and type treatment, and it remains so today. Through successive editions, however, the Manual has come to be widely recognized by writers and editors both within and outside the Federal Government as one of the most useful resources in the edito-rial arsenal. And now in the 21st century, writers and editors are using the Manual in the preparation of the informational content of Government publications that appear in digital formats.Writers and editors whose disciplines have taught them aspects of style dif-ferent from those found in the GPO Style Manual will appreciate the difficulty of establishing a single standard. Users of this Manual should consider it instead as a general guide. Its rules cannot be regarded as rigid, for the printed word assumes many shapes and variations in annual presentation, and usage changes over time as language evolves. Periodically the Manual is updated, as this edition has been, to eliminate obsolete standards, update form and usage, and adjust the guidance for document preparation and ap-pearance to current custom.Comments and suggestions from users of the GPO Style Manual are wel-comed. All such correspondence may be emailed to the GPO Style Board at [email protected].