It is easy to draw the wrong conclusion from his feat. Francis Cleverdon, of Waterstone's bookshop, hits on only half the truth when he says: "People get far too hung up on things like commas." Yes, some people do. It is nonsense to say that there are any absolute rules about punctuation, which must always be obeyed. Commas exist simply to help the reader make sense of the written language. They signify nothing more than momentary breaks in the flow of words, to separate one thought-capsule from the next. It is a tribute to Carey's artistry that True History of the Kelly Gang reads so fluently without them.