Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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Is the deejay a wannabe?
Or does the D.J. just want to be?
When is heaven capitalized?
Do you stand in line or on line?

For anyone who writes—short stories or business plans, book reports or news articles—knotty choices of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and meaning lurk in every line: Lay or lie? Who or whom? None is or none are? Is Touch-Tone a trademark?How about Day-Glo? It’s enough to send you in search of a Martini. (Or is that a martini?) Now everyone can find answers to these and thousands of other questions in the handy alphabetical guide used by the writers and editors of the world’s most authoritative newspaper.

The guidelines to hyphenation, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling are crisp and compact, created for instant reference in the rush of daily deadlines. This revised and expanded edition is updated with solutions to the tantalizing problems that plague writers in the new century:

* How to express the equality of the sexes without using self-conscious devices like “he or she.”
* How to choose thoughtfully between African-American and black; Hispanic and Latino; American Indian and Native American.
* How to translate the vocabulary of e-mail and cyberspace and cope with the eccentricities of Internet company names and website addresses.

With wry wit, the authors, who have more than seventy-five years of combined newsroom experience at the New York Times, have created an essential and entertaining reference tool.Amazon.com Review
"A foolish consistency," Emerson insisted, "is the hobgoblinof little minds." That may well be, but editors have enough reasons toreject your work; don't let sloppy inconsistencies be one ofthem. The New York Times Manual of Style & Usage was writtenfor the paper's editors and writers, but it is a fine, up-to-dateresource for anyone's use. Our language is ever-mutating, and a guidesuch as this will ensure that you understand the impact your wordsmight have before they reach print. Should you use NativeAmericans or American Indians? Debark ordisembark? Did you know that thermos is no longer atrademark, but that Popsicle and Dumpster are? Writing,when you get down to it, is nothing more than the careful choosing ofwords. This style book will ensure that you don't choose caratwhen you mean karat, jury-rigged when you wantjerry-built, chow chow when chowchow is calledfor, or V-8 when you could have had a V8. A naysayer maybridle against the strictures of such a rule book, but the authorsbelieve "the rules should encourage thinking, not discourage it." Plus, "a rule," they say, "can shield against untidiness in detailthat might make readers doubt large facts." We'd call the book"user-friendly," but that, we've learned, can be downright"reader-tiresome." --Jane Steinberg ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

THEORY
A PRESENT FOR MY DAUGHTER IN LAW HOW JUST GRADUATED FROM JOURNALISM.
SHE FOUND IT COMPLETE AND INTERESTING. THANKS.

A useful reference guide for writers
Before buying this 1999 edition, I used an edition that was published in the early 1970s. That edition prohibited writers from using the word "councilwoman". I was curious whether a more recent edition would change this prohibition.

I see that the 1999 edition does permit the use of councilwoman.

I don't understand why the Manual doesn't use U.S.A., as an abbreviation. It uses only U.S.

Don't buy this.
This is a book which will tell you that using "data" as a plural is "stilted and deservedly obscure". This book essentially surveys the current mis-use of language and writes it down for all to follow. I expect they would have to issue a new version every year to keep up with the drift, which I suppose would be a good money-maker for the publisher.

Superb - for fiction writers, too!
_
Easy to navigate, has the answers to the questions you want, and you can find them instantly.I use this far more often than the Chicago Manual of Style or Strunk and White.It's small, well-organized, and has it all (most of it all, anyway).

I write fiction, and this guide works wonderfully anyway; I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a fiction writer.Sometimes--but only rarely--entries don't apply to fiction writing, or the rules differ.

The manual is organized alphabetically, not just by subject, but the entire book is alphabetical.This makes it *so* much easier to find what I'm looking for than the other reference guides.
E.g.: Do titles of books go in quotes? Look up "book" and the answer is there.If the answer isn't there, this manual anticipates what you may be looking for and tells you:for titles, see "title."If you look up the word, "quote," it will tell you how to use quotation marks (not 2nd grade information, but every permutation of those gnawing things you just aren't quite sure about when writing a professional cover letter or a story).And again, it can anticipate what was left out of the "quote" entry and send you elsewhere.

It's a keyword book, organized alphabetically, beginning to end.It *is* the glossary, in a sense, but the glossary doesn't send you to a wordy, where's-what-I-want chapter; the info is succintly at hand.No need to spend any amount of time searching for your question, or answer; it's there for you, as is the reason for the usage.I'd call this the opposite of the Chicago Manual of Style, where time spent searching for where they may have chosen to put my question is an exercise in frustration.

This is a great reference guide for any writer's desk, and within my reach at all times.

Say it as simply as possible.
I would expect the world's leading daily newspaper to produce a pretty decent style guide and I was not disappointed with this edition.Having always worked in the design side of publishing, where it is necessary to be much more familiar with words and language than other areas of print design, I've collected a few style guides over the years.This manual and the one from The Economist I have found the most interesting.

The New York Times book offers clarity and sensibly an alphabetical solution to the contents so that you can look up, for instance, elements of punctuation individually rather than have them all grouped under Punctuation.The manual takes a whole page to explain the use of hyphens and intriguingly uses this example 'Use the suspensive hyphen rather than repeat the second part of a modifier, in cases like this: On successive days therewere three-, five- and nine-inch snowfalls'Quite correct but not very elegant I thought.It is this attention to detail and the thoroughness of the manual that impressed me.

I think it is worth mentioning here a rather unique style guide by Keith Waterhouse (author of 'Billy Liar) called 'Waterhouse on newspaper style'. I frequently get this out because it such a joy to read. Originally produced for journalists on the Daily Mirror (in the past the leading British tabloid) it is alphabetical but concerned with style more than anything, part of the contents might give you a feel of the subject matter, Adjectives, Alliteration, And now, The asthmatic comma, Captions, Catchwords, Cliches (standard), Cliches (trade), Compression, Consequences, Crossheads, Dead letters, Dots and dashes.It was published in the UK by Viking in 1989 and is well worth searching out. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Usage? Useless.
As a professional writer, I'm fairly knowledgeable about everyday usage issues. I rely on a good reference to help me with more arcane usage topics. I've needed to consult this volume about 15 times since I bought it, and it has not discussed a single one of my questions. No exaggeration -- not one! Sadly, the book I used to work with is now out of print.

I'm about to toss the American Heritage because I wouldn't even want to donate it to my local library.

Offers authoritative and simple details on modern usage and the controversies which surround it
American Heritage's Guide To Contemporary Usage And Style answers hundreds of questions about usage, covering everything from commonly confused words and differences between scientific and lay uses of words to controversial pronunciations, grammar rules, formal and informal writing, and more. With it's A-Z dictionary format, Guide To Contemporary Usage And Style offers authoritative and simple details on modern usage and the controversies which surround it.
... Read more

Product Description
The only up-to-date guide that addresses everyone who writes, from books and magazine features to newsletters, business reports, technical papers and brochures -- with information on how to use computers in every stage of publication. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

The only one you need
I have used this book professionally and personally for ten years and it is absolutely excellent in every way. It is well organized, clear, succinct, intuitive, and thorough. The current sharp decline in the importance placed on correct grammar and usage, which is essential to effective communication, could be curtailed if only everyone owned a copy (and would read it). Those horrific emails sent by intellectually and physically lazy persons should be intercepted as spam; they are at least as offensive.

Best Single Reference
I'm the author of several popular computer programming books that amazon sells. The problem is, I'm not really a very good writer; my background is all technical. My Copy Editor recommended this book as the single best reference -- better than the Chicago Manual of Style or others. An excellent choice!

New York Discovers Common Sense
I have a stack of grammar books at hand on my desk, from the classic Strunk & White's The Elements of Style to the witty and wise books of Patricia T. O'Conner, grammar grinch of the New York Times. None is so comprehensive and usable as the NY Public Library's guide. From welcome advice about "bias-free usage" to "the essential comma," the Library Guide gives down-to-earth and much-needed commentary about the problems writers face every day. My favorite section is Misued and Easily Confused Words, worth reading for its entertainment value alone. I've been a professional writer for over 30 years and only wish I could have had this volume with me all that time. I've tried the rest, this is the best. I just bought my son, who is working on his first book, a copy for Christmas.

Finally! News you can use!
As a professional writer and editor I have found this book to be the best resource for my everyday style and usage quandries. (And I have used several style guides.) It has been a great help in the last couple ofmonths as I have been writing an editorial style guide for my employer.It's easy to navigate and provides information that can be understood bythose of us who aren't rocket scientists. It also explains style andgrammar issues and gives real-life examples. ... Read more

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Product Description
Delivers the appropriate amount of expert coverage on writing (grammar, usage, and style) topics for consumers who need a supplement to a standard writing I text; who need to prepare for exams; or who need to brush up on the fundamentals of writing

• Chapter Check-In gives readers an overview of what they'll learn in the chapter
• Chapter Check-Out reviews the chapter to enforce the items learned and help with comprehension
• Review section is a summary test on all chapter topics in the book -- great tool for teachers and students
• Resource Center directs reader to additional information available for the subject such as books and websites

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Customer Reviews (18)

Great Resourse
I wish I could use this better in my classroom.Unfortunately, I have little control over what I teach.

Children Learn from Quality Examples
Mechanically Inclined is a MUST HAVE RESOURCE for any teachers of writing from kindergarten through college.Here's the gist:children learn to write from analyzing quality examples of published writing.Students learn the mechanics of our written language by "trying on" skills they see authors use.

The Skills Side of Writing Workshop
So many teachers new to Writing Workshop (aka Writers Workshop) think that it's just a free-for-all time of creative, non-directed writing. So far from the truth! The best teachers infuse mini-lessons which develop the writer's craft and skill set, and bring about real improvements in grammar, usage, and editing skills. For the teacher seeking to do this, Mechanically Inclined is highly recommended. You'll find yourself amazed that langauage arts skills can integrate so easily into your writing program, without sacrificing student creativity.

Mechanically Inclined: Building Grammar, Usage, and Style into Writer's Workshop
A must have book if you are teaching writing.It provides a novel approach to teaching grammar in context with rich literature. It is a book of great examples and wonderfully rich excerpts from literature. It is a book that may be used with fourth graders as well as students in junior high and high school. My students love his cleverness.We laugh as we learn together. Great!

Best Buy
I'm a glutton for books on education, and I can comfortably say that this is hands-down the most practical, entertaining, and useful book I read in 2008.While I was still reading the book I was able to implement some of Anderson's ideas in my own classroom.He's a middle school teacher but I adapt many of his lesson ideas for my third grade class.He answered every question and eased my discomfort about teaching structure in a fluidly structured environment like writer's workshop.Well done in striking the balance between squelching student ideas and squeaking by with any old slop. ... Read more

Product Description
Overview: *Online Style Guide* is an easy-to-use guide towriting for and about the Internet. It's an essential tool forwriters, editors, librarians, webmasters, teachers, students,communications professionals, and anyone who wants to learn about thelanguage of the Internet. Content: Hundreds of online terms andacronyms are defined in nontechnical language. Lists, sidebars, andplenty of examples help you relate the information to yoursituation. From the serious business of writing effective Web sitecopy to fun (everyone's favorite) sections on emoticons and shorthand,this guide will bring you up to cyberspeed in no time. Throughout thebook, the authors share great tips for writers and editors of anymedium, including solutions to common grammar mistakes. Format: Tabbeddividers and an index help you find information quickly andeasily. The book is wire-o bound, making it easy to keep open whileyou type; the book lies flat with facing pages or wraps along thespine to show one page at a time. The convenient 6" by 8-1/2" sizefits easily on your desk or shelf, or in a briefcase. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent Grammar and Word Choice Section
I use the Grammar and Word Choice section of this book all the time. It has very easy definitions and examples of parts of speech and punctuation. There is a list of commonly misspelled words (properly spelled for you) and the appropriate usage of common confusing words (when to use affect vs effect, anticipate vs expect, discrete vs discreet, and so on). There is also a series of lists of correct abbreviations, for example, academic degrees, professional titles, latin abbreviations, and mailing and state abbreviations.

I point out this section because it may not be evident that there would be such an excellent resource inside an online style guide. But this grammar section is so easy to reference and has very simple examples -- I use it ALL the time! I recommend you buy this book even if all you need it for is common day-to-day writing do's and don'ts.

Relevant and useful
I admit that because of the publication date beinga couple years old, I was skeptical that this reference book would help me. Ithought it might be outdated with all the changes in the Internet. While thereare some terms that are new since this book was published, and some of the"names" of software or companies have changed, I found the book to still be veryuseful and surprisingly current. It has helped my editorial team stay consistent with terminology andusage. The grammar section is awesome--great tips that I have shared with ourwriters! The emoticons are fun. And the netiquette and style sections gave melots of ideas for our company style guide. I especially appreciate the layout ofthe book--the tabs make it really easy to find what I need and it lays flat nextto the computer--something the others don't. Minor points, maybe. But overall, Irate this a good buy compared to similar books on the market that I'veused.

Answered lots of 'Net questions my other stylebooks ignore
Managing Editor. Find myself reaching for this handy resource daily. Confusing words section (continual/continuous) is a lifesaver.Documentation section helped me meet deadline last week (answered vexingquestion of how to properly reference a Web site). Emoticons & onlineshorthand section is a nice surprise.Now I can decipher all those BFN(bye for now) and ;) (wink - light sarcasm).Fun... I've used some ofthese to get credibility with some of the "techies" I workwith.

Overall, Online Style Guide is a winner.Clear, concise writing,conveniently presented (love the section tabs and lay-flat binding). Ordered one for both assistant editors.

Useful and entertaining
Loved the shorthand section and found the Netiquette chapter right on themark.Grammar and word choice section was also helpful.

A must-have foranyone getting started with writing on the internet. ... Read more

Product Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1896 edition by Hachette et Cie, Paris. ... Read more

Product Description
Whether you are re a budding writer, a professional in the business, or just a hobbyist, this set will surely come in handy. With New Hart's Rules, the classic reference work for writers, editors, and publishers since 1893; Fowler's Modern English Usage, the world-famous guide to Englishusage, loved and used by writers of all kinds; The Oxford Style Manual, offering unrivalled guidance on words and how to treat them; and the New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors,you'll find answers to any and all questions about the written word! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (5)

An extremely unique book
As a teacher who is strict about my students' writing styles, I find this book to be supportive, informative, and entertaining.I gave an example of one of the major "accidents" discussed in my title.By definition, something that is "unique" stands alone.Either it is unique or it isn't.It can not be "extremely unique."In addition, I have overdone the use of "quotation marks."Sorry about that!

Just downloaded "Accidents" -already learning
Before buying "Accidents of Style" I read the three reviews. I rarely buy from an author with whom I'm not familiar until I've read the reviews An interesting observation: The reviewer from Atlanta questioned the author's sentence ( toward the beginning of the book ) - - - " the apprentice writer will have less accidents."The reviewer obviously missed the point; the correct word is 'fewer' accidents, not 'less' accidents. He thought the author made a mistake, actually intending to write that the apprentice writer would have 'more' accidents. The lesson from Mr. Elster concerned the correct use of the word 'fewer' in the sample sentence, instead of 'less'. - - Fewer accidents, not less accidents. I'm looking forward to reading Mr. Elster's book. From the few pages I've read, I know the experience will be delightful as well as ENLIGHTENING !

Grammatical Error in Introduction?
While reading a few pages from the book on Amazon, I ran across a sentence that appears to be grammatically incorrect. Could it be a plant to see if someone finds it? It's more likely I'm wrong. Here's the sentence....

Introduction - Page 2
"Finally, accidents of style happen to everyone, to the amateur and professional alike - although, as with driving, the experienced writer will have fewer accidents while the apprentice writer will, sadly, have less."

Shouldn't it be...the apprentice writer will, sadly, have more?

A Useful New Language Resource

Given the depressed state of literacy, the appearance of an excellent new guide to grammar, style, and usage is an occasion for rejoicing.

The Accidents of Style by Charles Harrington Elster is a volume every writer should have at hand. It will help you polish your prose, express your ideas more clearly, and avoid numerous errors.

The title is a clever play on Strunk and White's classic The Elements of Style. But although that 51-year-old reference book is still helpful, Accidents goes well beyond it, with 350 wry and well-reasoned essays on topics that duo probably didn't need to consider half a century ago.

"Accidents of style" are common mistakes, and Elster has fun with the metaphor: "This book shows you how to steer around the ruts and potholes.... It's a crash course in careful usage."

Elster is an authority on the English language. He has written books on, among other things, vocabulary building and pronunciation. He's a purist and prescriptivist who also recognizes that the rules occasionally need revising and updating.

If you recall boring grammar lessons from your school days, fear not. Elster is an entertaining writer and he festoons his book with mischievous observations and asides.

The book discusses commonly abused words and expressions such as impact and issues, how to use kudos properly, the voguish and ill-advised use of the opening "Let me see," and the excessive and awkward use of adverbs, which the author dubs "adverbiage." Elster's puckish and sometimes barbed approach is evident in these and other entries.

The Accidents of Style offers much more: Advice on the proper use of punctuation (apostrophes, commas, quotation marks) and spelling (it's espresso, not expresso and supersede, not supercede), and guidance on avoiding redundancies (close proximity, fellow colleagues), "confusables" (anxious vs. eager, emulate vs. imitate, flaunt vs. flout), and clichés and slang (at the end of the day, on the same page). In addition, the book contains quizzes to test your knowledge, tips to improve your writing, and even funny bloopers.

Unlike most other language guides, the structure of Accidents isn't alphabetical by subject. Instead, the entries begin with simple matters, then become progressively more complex. The index will help you find what you're looking for. The book can be used either as a reference or read straight through. Both routes will prove rewarding.

My one complaint is that Elster occasionally comes across as a bit of a curmudgeon, deriding those who don't do things in his approved way. But considering how permissive most dictionaries and language authorities have become, a martinet may be just what we need to restore some balance. I learned a lot from The Accidents of Style. You will, too.

Entertaining, Sound Advice
I found The Accidents of Style: Good Advice on How Not to Write Badly to be enjoyable and educational at the same time. That's not easy when you're writing about style.

WHAT'S INSIDE?
-----------------------
The book is a collection of 350 mini essays on "accidents" (mistakes) that are often made when writing. Entries are mostly one or two paragraphs long. Read one paragraph a night before bed and be done in a year, or bring it to the beach and be done in an hour or two.

THE GOOD
-----------------------
I like the examples of poor writing, because they are often taken from actual usage byprofessional writers (usually those working at newspapers and television). At least I am in good company!

A lot (see Accident #4 for a discussion of why it is not alot) of the advice is helpful and just what I wanted to find in the book. I am especially prone to Accident #320 (putting the adverb before compound verbs), and I appreciated the clear explanation.

It's fun to read. The Elements of Style: 50th Anniversary Edition is a wonderful classic, but you have to admit that it is not a page turner!

The bibliography is a handy list of some great books on style. Conspicuously absent, though, were works by Karen Elizabeth Gordon :(

THE NOT SO GOOD
-----------------------
As far as I can tell, the accidents are not organized. The author says they increase in complexity, but it doesn't appear that way to me. Within just a few pages they vary widely from simple fender benders to full-blown catastrophes. Accidents #22 (intact vs. in tack) and #231 (no tendon in tendinitis) seem like pretty minor spelling mistakes to me. I feel that accident #241 (comprise does not mean "make up"), though, is actually a fairly tricky one that thankfully goes beyond the obligatory style-guide discussion of "comprise" and "compose."

SUMMARY
-----------------------
Inevitably, there are going to be places you find really useful in a style book, and others that you already know very well. We are all prone to different accidents. Fortunately, the author writes well-enough that you'll enjoy all of the content. ... Read more

Product Description
This book outlines chapter-by-chapter the steps involved inwriting a thesis and proposal.The Introduction and chapterson Methods, Results, and Discussion sections outline the essential content ofeach section of the thesis. A concluding chapter on style offers practical tipson how to organize, explain, and produce forceful writing. The book presentsseven major groupings of statistical analyses, with complete illustrations. Italso demonstrates appropriate wording and statistical essentials and offersadvice on what not to include. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent Information
This book will help you in many aspects on your thesis writing.

EXCELLANT
This is the Best reference manual for anyone writing a thesis. I used only this book in writing my Master Thesis.

sharon the bear
Why do you recommend that your students buy so many how to books and what college are you affiliated to? The one the teddy bears have their picnic at?

Excellent reference for design, development, and writing!
As someone who works privately with students, helping them with theses, I highly recommend this book.When students call me in regard to assistance with their thesis, I recommend that they buy this book and use it as areference.As the title states, this book addresses students' concernsabout design, development, and writing, as well as presentation.Inaddition, it does an excellent job of walking students through the processof writing a thesis.It is a practical and easy to use guide.

Indespensible book for Seniors and Graduate Students
This is an EXCELLANT reference manual for anyone writing a senior project,a master's thesis, or a doctoral dissertation. The book is easy to read andoffers step-by-step advice on how to pick a research topic, how to writeyour proposal, introduction, methods section, results, and discussion.Examples are included for each phase and the author even gives advice onwhat NOT to write, and how to avoid common mistakes. This is indispensable. ... Read more

Product Description
The new edition of the classic reference for all who work with words.

Here is the thoroughly revised and updated edition of the one essential reference for all who work with words--writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers.Almost 200 pages longer than its predecessor, this edition reflects nearly every significant change in style, usage, procedure, and technology.It is easier to use, richer in illustrative examples, and informed everywhere by the presence of computer s in publishing, from manuscript preparation to editing, typesetting, indexing, design, and printing.

The result of more than a decade's worth of continuous editing and revision, the changes to this edition fall into two broad categories.

First are the changes designed to make editorial guidelines more systematic, more inclusive, more reflective of contemporary usage, and more accessible. There are major revisions in the chapter on quotations, which features a fuller discussion of speech and alternative punctuation; in the chapter on names and terms, expanded treatment of nationalities, tribes, and races; a reorganized chapter on foreign languages, with a new section on Hebrew; and a revised and enlarged tabular spelling guide for compound words and words with prefixes and suffixes.

The most thoroughly revised is the section on documentation.What was scattered across three chapters is now more logically and concisely presented in two.Chapter 15 now covers the humanities style of documentation, and chapter 16, the author-date style preferred in the natural and social sciences.Notes and bibliographies are discussed separately, and there are many examples of ways to cite a range of material-- from medieval documents to computer programs, with guidelines for citing data bases, network billboards, and other electronic documents.

The other set of changes emphasizes new developments in publishing, from new technologies for composition, design, printing, and binding, to the shifting responsibilities of author and editor in an age of personal computers.For first-time and self-publishing authors, there is also new information about the outside of the book: jackets, covers, and how to obtain and display ISBN numbers and bar codes. The chapter on copyrights and permissions has been rewritten by attorney William Strong to cover current laws, practices, and procedures, with a more substantial section on interpreting the concept of "fair use."Finally, the bibliography and glossary have been extensively revised.

This revision process has been guided by a set of basic principles:consistency, clarity, literacy, good sense, and good usage, all of them tempered by a respect for the individuality of expression.These principles have worked successfully at the Press for a century;constantly renewed, they are what makes the Manual the authoritative voice of publishing.There is no other reference so valued or so necessary.

Features of the new edition

The first revision in eleven years--updated, expanded, and reorganized to incorporate contemporary usage and technology

Many more examples illustrate every chapter

Documentation chapters completely rewritten for greater ease of use

Discusses computer terminology through every stage of the publishing process--from preparing a manuscript to composition and printing

Extensively revised and updated chapter on copyright and permissions

Significantly updated chapters on quotations, names and terms, spelling, and indexingAmazon.com Review
What can we say? This weighty tome is the essential referencefor all who work with words--writers, editors, proofreaders,indexers, copywriters, designers, publishers, and students. Discoverwho Ibid is, how to deftly avoid the split infinitive, and how toformat your manuscripts to impress any professor or editor (no,putting it in a blue plastic folder is just not enough). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

The Chicago Manual of Style
Timely arrival, book was as advertised...Remarkably good condition...with dust cover yet. Thanks! You too, Amazon.

Fast Service and Excellent Condition
Book came quickly and in even better condition than I expected. It wasn't exactly what I expected, but that is my fault, not the fault of the seller.

Essential info for people meddling with typography
As a graphic designer, who had done her schooling in a non-English speaking country, I was constantly fixing errors in my clients' copy. Only to hear, that they absolutely think it's the right way to go. For example, in Finnish grammar, 90% of times, there is no comma before the word "and", when it's a list. Carrots, pumpkins and oranges.

That's where the Chicago Manual is so helpful. I can be sure. And get my clients proper grammar and punctuation!

Excellent Quality and Service
Received the book in record time; the book was in all but brand new condition, as advertised, the "all but" being an inscription and a book plate. The book itself, of course, is invaluable for anyone serious about writing and editing a book or publishing one.

Great Experience
Item was in great condition, even better than I anticipated. Service was fast and professional. Thanks! ... Read more

Product Description
You know the authors' names. You recognize the title. You've probably used this book yourself. This is The Elements of Style, the classic style manual, now in a fourth edition. A new Foreword by Roger Angell reminds readers that the advice of Strunk & White is as valuable today as when it was first offered.This book's unique tone, wit and charm have conveyed the principles of English style to millions of readers. Use the fourth edition of "the little book" to make a big impact with writing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (75)

Jyl Scislow- Author of Moral Hazard-A Wall Street Thriller
A must in any writer's collection.I began writing with this book at my side and referred to it often when writing Moral Hazard-A Wall Street Thriller.Don't take everything too seriously though.Use your own judgement with your style and always read your writing out loud.Modern writers aren't so concerned with "correctness" as writer's used to be.Use this book as a guideline.And if you stray, it should be because of a conscious effort to do so, having known the "correct" way to write because you read Strunk and White's, The Elements of Style.Moral Hazard - A Wall Street Thriller

Had some damage but usable
I like this book, it is easy to read and understand. It helps me out alot.

Can't Go Wrong With the Classics
This tiny book was required reading at law school in Champaign, IL. The book comes in at about 110 pages because Strunk and White use words with the efficiency of a marksman going after his or her target. Words are used simply, precisely, and none are ever wasted. You will see how elegant and artful writing can be after reading this book, so much so that you will revisit it often.

Most professions, the law included, use jargon often inaccessible to the public.The professionals defend the use as needed to express complex ideas. Strunk and White will have none of it. For them, there is no idea that is so complex that it cannot be put into simple, every day words.The Elements of Style is a monument to the democratic experience. I regret not discovering it before attending law school. Your writing will be the better from your engagement with it.

Writing
I haven't really got a chance to read the book.Glancing through it, I know this is what I was looking for.

Don't ruin your creative potential.
The authors violate their own rules.Furthermore, E. B. White flunked out of grammar.Is this some kind of joke?Yet, the book is a best seller.You won't learn anything from this rag.I think it noteworthy that Shakespeare's surrealistic use of language would have been castigated by Strunk and White.Several renowned authors, including C. S. Lewis and A. A. Milne, wrote that linguistic prescriptivism and hypercorrection were not practiced by one great writer in English to date.Uninformed idiots with the opinion of Genghis Khan are pigeonholing succeeding generations of writers based on the publishing house's ability to sell books. ... Read more