Changing America, One Typo At A Time

In 2007, Jeff Deck was in a post-college funk when all of a sudden he saw a misspelled sign that sparked an idea: Why not cross the country, correction fluid and markers in hand, and fix typos on public signs?

Jeff and several of his friends formed the Typo Eradication Advancement League and set out on their quest, sometimes finding people eager to correct signs, often encountering resistance or apathy.

Finally, they ran afoul of the law when they corrected a sign at the Grand Canyon National Park. But Jeff found that the odyssey unraveled broader social issues, like "race relations, workplace repression, and education."

Jeff and his friend, Benjamin Herson, wrote about their lexiconic adventures in "The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends, Changing The World, One Correction At A Time." The book is now out in paperback.

This interview originally aired in October 2010.

Here & Now listener Gordon Hardy's daughter  found a typo at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Click on the photo to get a closer look at misprint. Share your typo photos on Facebook.