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A review by tjr
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr.
5.0
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Strunk and White’s, The Elements of Style. If only I could download the entire book into my head, I would always be able to remember all those important rules on command. Alas, I have to rely on the next best solution: carry it with me wherever I go to write and edit.
The Elements of Style is a real gem; the book gives succinct and to-the-point instruction, elegantly, which is no small feat considering the heavy topic at hand. I have read a multitude of other writing instruction and rule books, and only Eats, Shoots & Leaves comes to mind as being equally entertaining and instructive. Yes, I said entertaining; there are a few comical points made in The Elements of Style, surprising considering how old the text is (originally written around 1919 or so). Perhaps the comedy can be attributed to my expecting something more stuffy. Fortunately, it written almost breezily.
The Elements of Style is a real gem; the book gives succinct and to-the-point instruction, elegantly, which is no small feat considering the heavy topic at hand. I have read a multitude of other writing instruction and rule books, and only Eats, Shoots & Leaves comes to mind as being equally entertaining and instructive. Yes, I said entertaining; there are a few comical points made in The Elements of Style, surprising considering how old the text is (originally written around 1919 or so). Perhaps the comedy can be attributed to my expecting something more stuffy. Fortunately, it written almost breezily.