European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Best seller fiction 1 the Burden of proof by Scott Turow last week 1 weeks on list 2 2 message from Nam by Danielle steel first week on list 3 of the places you la go by or. Seuss last week 2 weeks on list 18 4 the stand by Stephen King last week 4 weeks on list 7 5 september by Rosamunde Pilcher last week 3 weeks on list 10 6 dragon by Clive Cussler last week 5 weeks on list 7 7 the Bourne ultimatum by Robert Ludlum last week 8 weeks on list 15 8 an inconvenient woman by Dominick Dunne last week 6 weeks on list 6 9 the Golden Orange by Joseph Wambaugh last week 7 weeks on list 6 10 the outlaws of Mesquite Louis la amour last week 12 weeks on list 3 non fiction 1 men at work by George f. Will last week 1 weeks on list 11 2 Dave Barry turns 40 by Dave Barry last week 2 weeks on list 4 3 done to shoot its Only me by Bob Hope with Melville Shavelson last week 3 weeks on list 3 4 Meg trends 2000 by John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene last week 5 weeks on list 22 5 father son and co. By Thomas j. Watson or. And Peter Petre last week 14 weeks on list 3 6 it was on fire when i Lay Down on it by Robert Fulghum last week 6 weeks on list 39 7 barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar last week 4 weeks on list 22 8 All i really need to know i Learned in kindergarten by Robert Fulghum last week 6 weeks on list 85 9 peril and Promise by John Chancellor first week on list 10 head first by Norman cousins last week 13 weeks on list 20 paperback fiction 1 the Joy Luck club by Amy Tan weeks on list 91 2 creature by John Saul weeks on list 4 3 warriors woman by Johanna Lindsey weeks on list 4 4 a Knight in shining Armor by Jude Dever Araux weeks on list 3 5 Day of the cheetah by Dale Brown weeks on list 4 6 Russia House by John Decarre first week on list 7 a prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving weeks on list 8 8 the servants of Twilight by Dean r. Koontz weeks on list 9 9 Mirror image by Sandra Brown weeks on list 4 10 the Shell seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher weeks on list 62 paperback non fiction 1 All i really need to know i Learned in kindergarten by Robert Fulghum weeks on list 31 2 a woman named Jackie by Jack Olsen weeks on list 5 3 when a Rabbit howls by Truddie Chase weeks on list 3 4 a Brief history of time by Stephen hawking weeks on list 3 5 the Road less travelled by m. Scott Peck weeks on list 348 6 love and marriage by Bill Cosby weeks on list 7 7 summer of �?T49 by David Halberstam weeks on list 11 8 Why me by Sammy Davis or. And Burt Boyar weeks on list 2 9 reasonable doubt by Steve Vogel weeks on list 4 10 from Cradle to grave by Joyce Egginton weeks on list 7 paperback miscellaneous 1 50 simple things you can do to save the Earth by the earthworks group weeks on list 20 2 weirdos from another planet by Bill Watterson weeks on list 14 3 codependent no More by Melanie Beattie weeks on list 94 4 Rand Mcnally Road Atlas by Rand Mcnally weeks on list 18 5 the to Factor fat Gram counter by Jamie Pope Cordle weeks on list 7 compiled by the new York time stars and stripes Best Sellers fiction 1 the stand by Stephen King 2 Bright Star by Harold Coyle 3 dragon by Clive Cussler 4 the bad place by Dean Koontz 5 september by Rosamunde Pilcher 6 Skinny legs and All by Tom Robbins 7 death Gate Cycle dragon Wing by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman 8 the Bourne ultimatum by Robert Ludlum 9 message from Nam by Danielle steel 10 the Golden Orange by Joseph Wamba Ghnon fiction 1 Means of ascent by Robert Caro 2 it was on fire when i Lay Down on it by Robert Fulghum 3 barbarians at the Gate by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar 4 men at work by George will 5 Meg trends 2000 by John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene 6 in the Arena by Richard Nixon 7 Garbo by Antoni Granowicz 8 head first by Norman cousins 9 magic touch by magic Johnson 10 Kareem by Kareem Abdul Jabba tiny apostrophe is huge problem James j. Kilpatrick Universal press Syndicate the caption appeared in the new York times last summer a on hot humid Day world Trade Center welcomes its Millionth  a arg we done to expect the great Gray times to fall into the Blunder of confusing a a its and a a it so but on lower Levels of Olympus the confusion abounds. The Toshiba people Are promoting a Printer with a a it a amazing letter  the writers digest remarks in a promotional and that a writing Well remains a mysterious Endeavor but its mysteries Are revealed in a on being a  a a Texas sportswriter recalls that Southern methodist University a has held its own with Southwest football  apostrophes Are such Pesky critters. They give incessant trouble and the irritating thing about apostrophes is that Many of the rules that supposedly govern their use Are not hard and fast rules at All. The rules Are rubber band rules. This is not True of such contractions As a a it so for a it  in the above examples the writers wanted a Plain old  people do put apostrophes in the oddest places. Drive Down any country Lane and you will find signs mounted to mailboxes. Here dwell the Martins the Johnson a and the Clarks. A visitor truly is looking for the Martins the Johnsons and the Clarks. Authorities Are divided on this construction a Sinatra is a Friend of president and Nancy  my own thought is that the preposition a a of sufficiently indicates Possession. I would write a a Friend of Nancy  otherwise the apostrophes leaves a sense of incompleteness. Sinatra is a a Friend of Nancy Reagan so what a Friend of Nancy a maid a Friend of Nancy a dog in some constructions the a a of is omitted but understood and Here an apostrophe is required a for appearances Sake for the Sake of appearances and a for goodness Sake for the Sake of goodness. The same reasoning applies to �?o60 Days leave and a two months  the meanings Are a leave of 60 Days and a notice of two months. One use of the apostrophe is to indicate a missing letter this column Isnit going anywhere but in this Field anarchy reigns supreme. In Raleigh n.c., a gift shop advertises a Odds no ends a while a nearby Market advertises a wine in   it be pleasant if it were  a no easy the Best advice i can offer is to seek consistency. Once you be gotten straight on its and its your and you re who a and whose let the apostrophes fall where they May. Websters dictionary prefers Valentine Day american heritage sanctions Valentines Day and random House lists an acceptable Valentines Day. You pays your Money and you takes your Choice. June 24, 1990 sunday Page 9