Art of Spelling: The Madness and the Method - Hardcover

Marilyn vos Savant is listed in The Guinness Book of World Records as having the highest recorded IQ. Her ''Ask Marilyn'' column in Parade is read by more than 80 million people. She lives in New York City.

Although misspelling is sometimes associated with lack of intelligence and education, it's more likely to be related to a person's organizational skills and personality traits, according to the survey results of Savant's "Ask Marilyn" column in Parade magazine. The major conclusion: people who are organized and are able to follow instructions are more likely to spell correctly than people who are not. Savant reviews the survey results and quotes linguists, lexicographers, and psychologists on spelling. She also looks at variations in pronunciation and word usage over time. Savant instructs readers on how to determine how spelling methods reflect their personalities and provides a personalized approach to improving spelling ability. She disdains the current reliance on spell-checking technology that has its limitations and doesn't get at the root of the problem for misspellers. She also offers handy tips for remembering how to spell difficult words that trip up the best spellers. Interesting, amusing, and instructive. Vanessa Bush
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