Q. I am confused why the last entry in figure 15.1 in CMOS (for De Graaf) lists the page range for the chapter at the beginning, rather than at the end, immediately before the place of publication. Is it because this sample reference list has its own house style for this kind of reference? If so, it would make more sense to me if your sample reference lists hewed to your own advice for structuring references. Maybe most readers don’t look at the examples so closely, but I find them useful sometimes. Or maybe I’m just missing something.
A. You’re not missing anything. Most of the numbered figures in CMOS reproduce examples from the real world. We do this not to illustrate strict Chicago style but rather to show how Chicago style has been applied in a variety of publications. And though we do occasionally modify a detail in a figure to conform to the applicable rule in CMOS, we leave the original in place for any departures that seem arbitrary—as in the placement of page ranges in the figure you cite or, as in figure 14.8, the use of the day-month-year date form.
It is helpful, however, to be reminded that our readers may use these examples more literally, as a way to look up a point of Chicago style. Thanks to your question and similar questions from others, we will be sure to clarify the purpose of these figures in future editions of CMOS (e.g., with captions that point out the stylistic variations)—or to provide figures that are more strictly in line with the advice and examples in the numbered paragraphs.