A Writer's Reference: 2003 MLA Update
by Diana Hacker
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Book Summary Information
Author: Diana HackerEdition: Plastic Comb
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05-12
ISBN: 0312412622
Number of pages: 466
Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's
Book Reviews of A Writer's Reference: 2003 MLA Update
Book Review: An actual useful real sized manual better than other Hacker Books
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been published as a writer since 1967. I have written all kinds of things from Marxist polemics to restaurant reviews, from literary poetry to computer technical writing, from journal articles on the history of the banjo to literary short stories, and hundreds of reader reviews here on Amazon (Check them out!). I have taught college English composition for the past 7 years. I love A Writer's Reference.
A Writer's Reference is a great minimum level handbook to use for writing in and out of class. This is better than other Hacker products, particularly as a writer's handibook.
Hacker produces handbooks on all levels. One I like, except for its format that means the book will disappear page by page after more than one semester, is _Rules for Writers_. That is a full handbook, suitable as a textbook for English Composition 1 & 2 without any other text. One I do not like is the _Bedford Handbook_. There Hacker tries to dumb down the book, but ends up not providing enough explanation for students who need to learn on one hand, and not being handy enough for working writers to use to look up things.
A Writer's Reference has enough grammar, punctuation, usage, and mechanics to help composition students. Of, course, it would not work well as a remedial English tool, but that is not its task.
For decades before I ever taught college, I gathered these comp books as an aid for writing, copy editing, and proof reading. I am always looking for a handy reference that does not slow me down when I am looking for information. This is it! A Writer's Reference is short, sweet, clear, and superbly indexed. It took me one minute with A Writer's Reference book to find a solution to a usage and grammar question that has perplexed me over the past year.
The high price is a sad reflection of the racket of college textbook sales. However, A Writer's Reference is cheaper than comparable texts. It lacks enough reading and writing examples to serve as the sole text in a composition course. However, A Writer's Reference is an excellent resource as a handbook either for composition students using another text with more essay materials or for writers.
Particularly, for writers looking for a reference text, it is worth look around here and elsewhere to find more inexpensive used or remaindered copies of A writer.
Summary of A Writer's Reference: 2003 MLA Update
A proven success. The best-selling college textbook of any kind. Thoroughly class tested and enthusiastically endorsed by millions of students and their instructors at more than 1300 colleges and universities across the country. Updated with MLA's 1999 guidelines. Spiral.Words & Language Books
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