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The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition (Paperback)
by William Strunk Jr., E. B. White, Roger Angell
| Category:
Writing, Writing style, Communication |
| Market price: ¥ 128.00
MSL price:
¥ 118.00
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 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Most compact and lucid handbook about basic principles of composition, grammar, word usage, and writing style. |
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Author: William Strunk Jr., E. B. White, Roger Angell
Publisher: Longman; 4th edition
Pub. in: July, 1999
ISBN: 020530902X
Pages: 105
Measurements: 7.4 x 6.3 x 0.3 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00609
Other information: ISBN-13: 978-0205309023
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- Awards & Credential -
First written in 1919 and then added to in 1957, this book has been an all-time bestseller. It ranked as a Top 50 seller in books on Amazon.com in 2006. |
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- MSL Picks -
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.
****
Everyone learns to write. Few people learn to write well anymore. Pick up a newspaper or magazine or peruse a blog and you'll find competent but formulaic writing. Journalists pound out their essays by formula, using standard sets of tricks time after time. The result is dreary prose. You read an article and you may get the point, but you don't get inspired. You don't want to leap out of your chair, share your new learning with your friends, or change the world. Today's writing lacks that special flare that newspapers had in earlier generations.
We've diagnosed the disease. The Elements of Style is the cure. Within 87 pages, it holds all of the essentials. Common grammar and usage mistakes, basics of sentence structure, paragraph organization. This stuff may seem indisepnsible, but high school English teachers and college composition professors don't teach it any more. I'm an editor; I see stack after stack of manuscripts from young would-be authors who don't understand what good prose is.
Whenever possible, I recommend that they buy a copy of Strunk and White. This little gem contains all the rules. More importantly, William Strunk wrote with a concise, commanding stlye. Today's style guides are filled with vague, spineless advice, phrased as recommendations rather absolutes. Strunk gave orders. "Enclose non-restrictive clauses in commas." "Don't write sentences of only one paragraph." "Omit unnecessary words." If you want to see your work published, buy this book.
(From partly quoting Danny Iny, USA)
Target readers:
Anyone who is a student enrolled in high school, college, or graduate school (for native speakers), anyone else who desires to write properly, all English majors, and all medium to advanced English learners.
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William Strunk, Jr. first used his own book, The Elements of Style, in 1919 for his English 8 course at Cornell University. The book was published in 1935 by Oliver Strunk.
E. B. White was a student in Professor Strunk's class at Cornell, and used "the little book" for himself. Commissioned by Macmillan to revise Strunk's book, White edited the 1959 and 1972 editions of The Elements of Style.
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From Publisher
Composition teachers throughout the English-speaking world have been pushing this book on their students since it was first published in 1957. Co-author White later revised it, and it remains the most compact and lucid handbook we have for matters of basic principles of composition, grammar, word usage and misusage, and writing style.
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| View all 15 comments |
Julian Stockwin (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-11 00:00>
When I first decided I wanted to write a series of historical fiction I was fairly confident of my subject matter as it has been a passion throughout my life, but - and this was a big "but" - I had never written anything before other than business reports. I set about trying to learn the craft of writing from various "how to" books I borrowed from the library or bought in the local bookstore. These were all helpful to varying degrees, but one dog-eared volume that my wife presented to me (she is an ex-magazine editor in chief) stands out. Yes, it was "The Elements of Style", an amazing little book packed full of useful, practical advice for anyone who wants to ensure clarity of communication.
I particularly found the tips in the chapter "An Approach to Style" useful:
1. Place yourself in the background
2. Write in a way that comes naturally
3. Work from a suitable design
4. Write with nouns and verbs
5. Revise and rewrite
6. Do not overwrite
7. Do not overstate
8. Avoid the use of qualifiers
9. Do not affect a breezy manner
10. Use orthodox spelling
11. Do not explain too much
12. Do not construct awkward adverbs
13. Make sure the reader knows who is speaking
14. Avoid fancy words
15. Do not use dialect unless your ear is good
16. Be clear
17. Do not inject opinion
18. Use figures of speech sparingly
19. Do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity
20. Avoid foreign languages
21. Prefer the standard to the offbeat
The book's a little gem. |
Mark Laflamme (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-11 00:00>
It's always humbling, when you've been writing for decades and start to believe you know what you're doing, when one book proves you wrong over and over.
More professional writers keep The Elements of Style at hand's reach than any other. And it's no wonder. White and Strunk's timeless masterpiece is a no-nonsense guide to writing well and writing by the rules.
I've been a newspaper crime reporter for a dozen years. I've won awards for news writing and for my weekly column, and I've written three novels. And yet, simple matters of style frequently elude me (I have accepted this now) and they always will. Strunk and White are right there, and I cannot remember the last time they failed to provide the tips I was looking for.
It gets said over and over. Aspiring writers must have this book. The advice needs to be expanded to include those who have been writing for years and still manage to produce clunkers that violate sacred rules and leave readers wondering what the hell they meant.
Strunk and White have done more for the art of writing in this slim volume than the pen and lined paper. |
Anthonio Paulucci (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-11 00:00>
This is the best book on style, or even writing in general, that there is or ever will be on the market. Why? Because it follows its own rules. Strunk, the original author, wrote 22 general rules of usage and composition (or style when put together), and writes all of them with conviction and even a little humor to lighten up something that has always been a stuffy, that being the English language. With the exception of the last chapter, added by E. B. White much later in the lifeline of this book, Strunk's original work was a cool 60 to 70 pages long. Yet it covers everything needed for a writer to get a grasp on his or her own personal style.
If you're an aspiring writer, then you should have this book. If you don't, then get it immediately. If ever there was a book that was as important to writing as the pen and paper was, this is definitely the one. This is the original, and every over-sized style book to date has failed miserably at what this "little book" (as Strunk and White refer to this book as) has achieved. It's easy to reference, it covers everything needed, and it's concise in all its points. And, once again, it follows its own rules, as you shall see when you read this book.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-11 00:00>
Strunk & White's 105 page "Elements of Style" deserves to sit on your desk right next to your computer. Strunk laid down the bedrock almost 100 years ago, and E.B. White - one of the 20th Century masters of clear writing gently overhauled the work to bring it up to date. In 2006 it still stands as a beacon of clear, concise guidance.
What distinguishes this book (compared to the somewhat frantic Eats Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss) is that it offers a philosophy that steers us towards clarity above all else. Adopt this as a writing attitude and all else tends to fall into place. You might consider a companion book if your writing is specialized.
- If you are writing detailed technical or academic texts, then the more comprehensive "Chicago Manual of Style" is recommended for you.
- If you are writing fiction, then I would add Stephen King's wonderful rumination: On Writing as another companion volume to Strunk & White.
This volume is a classic for a reason. It gives us principles, not just rules, and it does so with utmost clarity. It leads by example. With these guys by your side, writing can be enjoyable. |
View all 15 comments |
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