On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (On Writing Well) | 
| Author: William K. Zinsser
Publisher: Collins
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $6.90
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Avg. Customer Rating:  141 reviews
Sales Rank: 1950
Media: Paperback
Edition: 30 Anv
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0060891548
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.042
EAN: 9780060891541
ASIN: 0060891548
Publication Date: May 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: New College Textbook. Multiple copies available that may or may not have additional materials, highlighting, pencil marks, stickers, bent pages, or shelf wear. Please Contact if there is something specific you require.***Expedited shipping available.*** Ships out same or next business day with tracking information.
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Amazon.com
Whether you write an occasional professional letter or a daily newspaper column, William Zinsser's On Writing Well should be required reading. Simplicity is Zinsser's mantra: he preaches a stripped-down writing style, strong and clear. He has no patience for excess (most use of adjectives and adverbs, he writes, just adds clutter) or tired phraseology (for instance, he'd like to outlaw all leads involving those "future archaeologists" most often found "stumbl[ing] upon the remains of our civilization"). He recommends that all writers of nonfiction read their work aloud (don't commit something to paper that you wouldn't actually say) and write under the assumption that "the reader knows nothing" (not to be confused with assuming the reader's an idiot). In addition to the chapters on the expected--usage, audience, interviews, leads--Zinsser also focuses on such trouble spots as science and technical writing, business writing, sports, and humor.
Product Description
On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sole, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 136 more reviews...
 The Mr. Chips of the writing class. April 18, 2008
If only I had Mr. Zinsser as a college professor, I might not have found the higher educational experience so dull and fruitless. Reading this book is like learning by osmosis, painless and very rewarding. What did I learn? I'm not sure. His teaching is so subtle that the instruction is almost subliminally absorbed. I'm sure I'll be using what Professor Zinsser taught me without even realizing it. And there are extra bonuses, too. Like dozens of terrific writing examples from such luminaries as E.B. White, H.L. Menken, James Baldwin, Will Bradbury, Robert Benchley, Garrison Keillor, and the author himself. And there are six pages of sources, so you can track these excerpts down and read them in their entirety. So much to read; so little time. Mr. Zinsser focuses on how to develop your voice/style, the importance of humor and simplicity. He discusses the various forms of non-fiction writing: travel articles, memoirs, sports, cultural reviews, science and technology, and biography. This is one class you won't be dozing off in. "I think a sentence is a fine thing to put a preposition at the end of." (Page 41)
This is a book I wish I had met sooner March 16, 2008
On day 1 of my first university English Class, I met a book called The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White. A slim volume, first published in 1917 it has prevented me from making many serious grammar and style errors. Zinsser first wrote his book in '76, just after I stopped taking English classes. This is a book I wish I had met sooner. It is superb. He covers many different styles of non fiction including travel, memoirs, sport and family history. His major lessons for me was how to find your own voice and that the writing is for yourself, no other. Very freeing book.
Well.. It is well written February 9, 2008
This book was recommended in a video about promoting ones self for a small business. I think the book is an easy read and is really fun to read. I have a way to go still, but I can tell my writing has already improved.
Excellent! January 20, 2008
The very best for writing non-fiction! Great for people who don't know whether they are good writers or not. Great for people who need to improve their writing!!!
Engaging December 11, 2007
This book will make you a better writer. If you have any desire to share your thoughts with the world using the English language, buy this book.
It's engaging, witty and smart. It provides the tools necessary for becoming a powerful writer. I am purchasing the audio version as soon as I finish this review. It's pure gold. A classic.
Dan Caron
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