The Elements of Style (edition 1972)

How did I ever get out of high school without having to read this book? At any rate, it is small enough that no student, ever, should be allowed to graduate without having read it!

And, surprisingly, it is quite readable. Who knew? the 4th edition has been updated to reflect modern slang and other 'with-it-isms' students should be on the lookout for. Oops. Just ended that sentence with a preposition. Tsk, tsk. ( )

1979 edition

I used this book a lot back when I was in school, but as you can no doubt tell by my current writing, I haven't picked it up in ages. And that's a shame.

This tiny gem is loaded with rules. I hate rules. But I must concede that the rules in Elements of Style are not just arbitrary constructs, invented by Strunk to give himself a power buzz. They actually help a writer more clearly and concisely convey their concepts. (For example, excessive use of anything...including alliteration *cough*, will distract the reader from your point.) ( )

A classic I first read in college -- one that has informed my work ever since. Its embrace of brevity is admirable, and in the age of the Internet, more relevant than ever. ( )

A short, easy-to-read book that anyone who wants to use the written word to communicate with anyone else should take to heart and memorize. It isn't hard and it covers the basics -- where the punctuation goes and why, what are the essential parts of constructing a sentence, how to avoid bloated, nonsensical paragraphs -- it's all there. And it isn't all that long. The whole book has less than 200 pages and a LOT Of white space, so this is no daunting challenge. It can be read in under 2 hours, even if you take notes. It is easy to mark for future reference, too, if you forget something (and no points taken off for checking before using that semicolon).

I recall during my not-short-enough stint as a professional proofreader that I often wanted to throw copies of this book at the authors and line editors when I found dozens of comma splices, run-on-sentences, verbless sentences, senseless constructions, and repetitive word use (we will just skip the whole "passive verb" thing for now -- I realize that's more of an addiction and requires a 12-step program, sort of like ellipses addiction and apostrophe abuse) in work that was supposed to be heading for the printer. This book can't save you from typos, but it can help you avoid full-out, no-excuse errors.

Reading this book will not make you a grammar Nazi. It will not make you appear strange to your friends, give you understanding of Ezra Pound, or make your walk into the waves like Virginia Woolf. It will save you some embarrassment and stop people who judge you on your writing (like me) from rolling their eyes at you. ( )