The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition by William Strunk Jr., E. B. White
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Book Reviews of The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
Book Review: Powerful Words for Such a Little Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I was handed a copy of the 80-year old classic, "Elements of Style," as a young man over twenty-five years ago as part of my orientation package when I started college. I recently read it again as a refresher and I suddenly realized what a timeless classic it is. Of all the books I've read about grammar and writing this is the one to which I refer over and over again.
It's a tiny little book; almost a pamphlet. But world renowned authors swear by it. You will too. The meat of the book is compacted down into three simple groups of "rules." They consist of eleven "Elementary Rules of Usage," eleven "Elementary Rules of Composition," and eleven "Matters of Form." I'm not sure if there's some cosmic meaning behind the number "eleven," but I couldn't ask for a more concise, to-the-point set of principles to guide me as I write my prose.
The feature I like best about this book is how easy it makes grammatical research. No heavy tombs to thumb through trying to find an obscure rule of grammar. No need to hop back and forth between computer screens to search for a phrase. Just a quick little reference guide that easily fits in my shirt pocket that stands ready to come to my aide on a moments notice. This book is the most important contribution to literary arts since pen and paper.
Anyone who is serious about improving the quality of his or her writing must own this handy little book.
Book Review: A great guide!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first encountered Strunk and White's 'Elements of Style' when I was an undergraduate, and I have been a fan of this book ever sense. Perhaps it is because of the excellent teamwork that is apparent on the pages between the master of language, William Strunk, and the master of narrative, E.B. White. How can you go wrong learning grammar from the likes of the author of such wonderful tales as Stuart Little?
During my English composition class as an undergraduate, we had to read this book twice, once at the beginning of the term, and again at the end. I have since referred to the pages so often that I am on my fourth or fifth copy, as the binding and pages have worn out from use. Long before books such as 'Woe is I' or 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves', this book, 'The Elements of Style' has held a certain pride of place in being useful, accessible and interesting in its presentation of a traditionally and typically boring subject - grammar and usage.
Among the pieces I re-read on a frequent basis is the list of commonly misused or abused words and phrases. Here is a list of easily corrected mistakes that the typical writer and speaker needs to keep in mind. Also, the suggestions for composition are gentle reminders that creativity and good craftsmanship need not be contradictory.
This is a wonderful gift and wonderful treat for oneself.
Book Review: Start here ... or at least visit
Summary: 5 Stars
This is NOT a grammar, it's about style. You won't find ANY inane lifeless nonsense rules like "don't split infinitives" (a red herring itself). That said, I suppose another flattering review is superfluous -- Strunk would disapprove -- but this book's rating is a half star below five! I have been writing in one capacity or another my entire life and cannot think of a single volume as fundamentally influential as Strunk. I have had a copy since high school, though I couldn't tell you where it is now; not that it matters, I've committed it to heart. By providing the table of contents, Amazon[.com] has essentially given you the book save its illustrative examples -- that's how tight it is, and yes the examples are worth having. Perhaps the somewhat militant author could have slipped "please" in here or there, but that would violate rule 13, "Omit needless words." Strunk doesn't want you to write better to please him, he saying if you're serious about your work you'll allow your assumptions to be challenged; and if you look closely you will recognize a compassion between the words, a committment to teach not browbeat. This book is nearly a century old and will be relevant in a century more, barring some sort of natural calamity, nuclear war, or extraterrestrial invasion. If you like, preview an old edition in the public domain at Bartleby.Book Review: Face it: We all need help!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the standard guide for writing English correctly. Admittedly, English has no rules, and what rules she has are ment to be broken; however, this book is for poor mucks like myself who are not Shakespeare.The first part is quick guide on stlye with 11 rules on how to write clearly, with hints on punctuation and syntax. The second part deals with rules of composition, as for an essay or paper. The fourth part deals with matters of form, or better put, which word to use, and using those words in the right way. Part four deals with misused word--I know that only anal people are concerned with this, but anal people tenmd to be our bosses and overlords, so humor them! Part fivbe deals with the tone of writing, and what type of voice to use.
New for the Fourth edition is a glossery, which I actually found useful. Net being an English major or a grammart Nazi, the defitions help me immeasurably. There is also an afterword by Charles Osgood, of NPR's "Osgood Files." It is more of an appreciation than a new list of rules. IF you are a fan of Osgood, you will enjoy it.
Personally, the key to style is find your own, and that only comes by practice. Admittedl;y, people like David Horowitz or Orson Scott Card have good styles that develop early on, we each have that spark of divinity in us. This book can help us find our own style.
Book Review: Timeless - Clear and Direct
Summary: 5 Stars
Roughly 80 years ago, William Strunk wrote a small textbook for students in his English Composition class. He wrote it with the intention of creation a short and accessible reference for his students, one of whom - E. B. White, author of the children's classic "Charlotte's Web" - would revise it almost thirty years later for publication to the general college market.
Since its inception, "The Elements of Style" has been the definitive text on clear written communication. It contains explicit guidelines that can easily be followed by anyone, and lays down the law in the form of 22 Elementary Rules of Usage and Elementary Principles of Composition (my favorite of which, "Omit needless words," I couldn't resist quoting in my own book).
Perhaps most importantly, from the perspective of the aspiring writer (who generally has neither an abundance of time nor money), the book is short (can be leisurely read in a couple of hours) and inexpensive (affordable for even the starving student).
This book is highly, highly recommended for anyone who considers taking pen to paper.
Danny Iny
Author of "Ordinary Miracles - Harness the power of writing and get your point across!" (ISBN 1-4116-7252-6)