I have been listening to Sir Ernest Gowers' revised edition of Fowler (not the first edition) since I was graduated from high school ... and I ain't changing editions, no matter what anybody "prefers".Bravo. Good for you! Never trust any kind of grammarian or grammar. Now, I've usually had to read books, but I'm glad they speak to you. And it's entirely up to you whether you listen or not. But here's my deal: just don't tell me what's
right by quoting Fowler-Gowers
ipse dixit,
ad verecundiam, or any way else, and I won't tell you when not to use "ain't" or how many iotas there are in
homo(i)ousios.
There are some who pooh-pooh both Fowler's first and Gower's second editions.
"The chaos prevailing among writers or printers or both regarding the use of hyphens is discreditable to English education. Since it sufficiently proves by its existence that neither the importance of proper hyphenating nor the way to act about it is commonly known." H W Fowler
Modern English Usage, 1st edition, 1926.
