I've Chosen my Battle

I'm reading (yet another) book on grammar.  It's full of drama, intrigue and heated argument.  Reading it is almost like reading the transcripts from The Jerry Springer or Maury Povitch show, but instead of passionate pleas about paternity tests, and chair-throwing fights over who stole whose girlfriend, the debate subjects are the Oxford comma, colons vs. semi colons, and proper preposition placement.  These long-debated subjects are meticulously chronicled by the author, complete with historical and contemporary examples, and exact etymological evidence.