@Jeruba, you’re right, colons and semicolons go outside. I found the relevant passage in a newer edition of the Handbook than I was looking at. This is from the 14th edition:
III. Distinctive Treatment of Words, Phrases, and Sentences:
A. Double quotation marks (“ ”): should be used for phrases used out of
context, words used as words.
B. Single quotation marks (‘ ’): may be used in special cases, e.g., for terms
having a specialized technical meaning, although this convention should not be
over-used. They may also be used when an author is trying to use a word
ironically, successful or not.
• When quoting a text, single quotation marks enclose quotations within
quotations; double marks, quotations within these, and so on. Commas
should remain inside single quotations (if inside double quotations in the
original) that enclose quotations within quotation.
C. Punctuation:
• In single word or phrase quotes (i.e., not citations), commas and periods
always go inside the double quotation marks—colons, semi-colons, and
question marks go outside. Likewise, in citations, commas, periods, and
question marks (if the question mark is part of the quotation) go inside the
quotation marks—colons, semi-colons, and question marks (if the question
mark is not part of the quotation) go outside. Thus, comma and periods are
always inside double quotes. When punctuation has been included inside
of double quotation marks, omit comma.
• All punctuation marks go on the outside of single quotation marks.
So I think this clears things up – it seems I was confused about the differences in rules between single and double quotation marks. But it does look as though the editor may have messed up the bit I mentioned in my second post above, since all punctuation is supposed to go on the outside of single quotation marks: ”...the environing Nature as ‘the very soil of history.’”
I still think that (’.”) looks weird, though. @andrew, I’ve never tried Oxford style; I’ll see if I can give it a try on the next paper.