Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2005 18:55:19 -0400
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Quoting
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

Two interesting pieces on the subject:
http://mailformat.dan.info/quoting/top-posting.html
http://mailformat.dan.info/quoting/bottom-posting.html

The significant point of both is: Edit, Trim, Delete.

In the second piece, he notes perhaps one of the ealiest uses of top
posting:

"As an interesting aside, the July/August 2004 issue of Analog Science
Fiction and Fact has an article giving the history of that magazine's
letter column, "Brass Tacks", which goes back to the founding of the
magazine (as Astounding Stories) in 1930. Apparently, the early editors
didn't like the concept of replying to letter-writers beneath their
letters, despite the logic and usefulness of this approach, because it
makes the editor seem to be getting "the last word", which they thought
was rude to the reader. Most of the time they just refrained from
replying to the letters at all (which was a bit awkward when the letter
was clearly asking a question of the editor), but sometimes they put
their reply in the headline above the letter. Thus, their practice
represents what is perhaps the earliest recorded instance of top
posting."

I always wondered about that.  It seemed rather odd.

mjw