Reviews (4)

Out of date!
The book is very useful & accurate for citing books and other print articles, but has no information on citing web pages, emails, or other electronic texts. It is based on the 1995 4th edition of MLA, while MLA is up to the 6th edition (2003)

An Excellent, Although Incomplete, Source On MLA
This Review refers to the paperback edition of The Essentials of MLA Style: A Guide to the System of Documentation Recommended by the MLA for Writers of Research Papers, by Joseph F. Trimmer. CONCISE and easy to use MLA how-to book
Bought for my Kidlet, she's found it a wonderful guidebook to writing MLA style papers. We looked at the full-version (over 200 pages) and it was, quite frankly, overwhelming.Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Bibliographical citations    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    4. Editing & Proofreading    5. English Composition    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Reference    10. Scholarly publishing    11. Style manuals    12. Writing Skills    13. Reference / Writing Skills    14. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (25)

Fabulous Book!
I have been searching for this information in a simple, easy to follow format.This book is it.I've been rusty with my punctuation and grammar for years and will treasure this as a great resource and learning tool.

Great resource for independent learners.
My students work full time and don't have a lot of time or energy to do grammar exercises at home. They want fast answers that are easy to understand. I recommend this book for the clear explanations and convenient format, and students have always found it accessible. Well worth the investment--you'll use it as much as your dictionary at least!

Students, watch out!
If you are a student in high school or college looking for a complete reference guide, this book is not it. The basics are covered, but explanations are sometimes inaccurate, and it will not supply answers to problems with your research paper(at least, not the answers that will satisfy your teacher). It IS a good reference tool for those in the corporate community who need help once in a while to polish a report, proposal or important memo. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Education    2. General    3. Grammar    4. Language Arts & Disciplines / Reference    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Composition and exercises    7. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    8. Language Arts & Disciplines / Editing & Proofreading    9. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (4)

Hodges' Harbrace Handbook
I've been using this handbook for about 25 years, and recently realized that my edition was the 3rd, published in the 1970s! So I ordered the latest edition (14th edition), and was so pleased with my purchase. This is a handbook that lives in our office, and gets used to death (we do graphic design, copywriting, editing). Any new employee on our staff is required to at least become familiar with the table of contents (in case of emergency!), and very soon they too are heading for Harbrace's to look up something. We love it.

The Guide for American English
It never ceases to amaze me how many times some ... grammarian tries to correct my writing only to review my Harbrace College Handbook to see they're wrong and I'm right. This is the definitive guide to American English grammar. Easy to read, plenty of examples, and more importantly it even covers those gray areas of usage letting the ready know this non-standard without simply cutting you off without explanation. I have purchased the latest edition ever since I purchased my first copy as text to Advanced Composition during my undergraduate days at the University of Maryland University College. Harbrace as served me very well ever since helping me obtain a high GPA in regards to my written assignments. I have a lot of other grammar books that I look at now and then, but Harbrace remains the standard.

The Guide for American English
It never ceases to amaze me how many times some anal grammarian tries to correct my writing only to review my Harbrace College Handbook to see they're wrong and I'm right. This is the definitive guide to American English grammar. Easy to read, plenty of examples, and more importantly it even covers those gray areas of usage letting the ready know this non-standard without simply cutting you off without explanation. I have purchased the latest edition ever since I purchased my first copy as text to Advanced Composition during my undergraduate days at the University of Maryland University Collage. Harbrace as served me very well ever since helping me obtain a high GPA in regards to my written assignments. I have a lot of other grammar books that I look at now and then, but Harbrace remains the standard. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    2. Editing & Proofreading    3. English language    4. Grammar    5. Handbooks & Manuals    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Reference    8. Rhetoric    9. Writing Skills    10. English    11. Grammar, syntax, linguistic structure    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    13. Reference works    14. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (52)

a must for secondary and post-secondary students
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Editions is a must for anyone who is attending secondary or post-secondary school, because it shows them how to properly cite their sources when writing a research paper. It show them how to create a bibliograhy and works cited page for just about any kind of source that they are using, whether it is a book, scientfic journal, newspaper, magazine article, or online source.

A Must-Have Book for College Students
I have used this book extensively since I began my Master's degree program, and I have been very pleased with both the content and simplicity of use.Having been out of school for several years, I found myself confused as to how to correctly cite various types of media for a bibliography, but this great book is loaded with examples of how to correctly cite any type of media.
MLA Handbook: The Savior of College Students
The MLA Handbook is the most useful writing instruction manual available.The handbook's straight-forward English and clear-cut presentation of its contents, will make writing research papers, formal letters and yes, citations, a smooth and swift task.College freshmen and sophomores will be sharpened and formed into skilled and knowledgeable writers.And their anxieties will be consumed by a confidence that no longer fears those dreadful words "research paper."But this does not mean that you should sell it back after you meet your requisites!The MLA handbook is a not something you discard like those odious textbooks that are reprinted and updated every semester.It is a trustworthy handbook there for your literary refinement, always.The MLA handbook should be issued to all incoming students at orientation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    2. Editing & Proofreading    3. Handbooks & Manuals    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Reference    7. Report writing    8. Research    9. Writing Skills   

Editorial Review

This is the definitive text for questions of manuscript protocol, copyediting, style, grammar, and usage. For those who find Read more

Reviews (21)

Nearly indispensable, yet thirty years old!
Somebody who had read my review of Bryan A Garner's Modern American Usage, 2nd ed. (2003)--IMHO, the preeminent book on usage, per se--wrote me the other day asking about a good book on typographical style.I recommended Words into Type which I have used for many years.But as I prepared to write a review, I was amazed to learn that a new edition of this outstanding reference work is lacking.
Recommended by the authorities
I recently posed a question to "The Chicago Manual of Style" Web site and received a very quick response along with the recommendation that my future grammar questions could best be answered by consulting "Words Into Type." That's the only recommendation I needed to convince me to buy a copy.

Great book in need of an update
This is a great style guide; however, it hasn't been updated to include technology and practice for even the late twentieth century!When talking computer technology, Words into Type talks about cathode ray tubes, for crying out loud.Having said all that, it is in many cases, much more user-friendly than the Chicago Manual of Style.Where Chicago can be vague or indecisive, Words is most helpful.Apart from the fact that Words really needs to be updated, it's an invaluable tool.Since it hasn't been updated since 1974, you'd be better offbuying a used copy than plunking down good dough for a text that's 30 years old. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. Printing    4. Reference    5. Style manuals    6. Writing Skills    7. Writing & editing guides    8. Editing   

Reviews (3)

You'd think a book on editing would be edited...
For a book that cost me $93.00, I was expecting something wonderful.Instead I found three blatant editing errors (one of which would have easily been corrected had someone hit "spell check" before sending it to the printers) within the first couple of chapters, and more as I went on.The book was boring, badly edited, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Good Service
The good thing about this. I was informed that I would receive my book within two weeks from the date I ordered it, but it came three days later. So, that made me really happy. I received a brand new book. Customer service was really polite and worked with me. Amazon with Borders performed good service to me. The only problem I had was that my textbook didn't come with the workbook. Other than that, Amazon is on top of things.

This review refers to the 1996 edition.
I used the first edition of this text in college back in 1972, and still have my copy. Now as an instructor I am using the 6th edition and am looking for a change. This book lacks three things; internet, internet,internet, and until it is brought up-to-date, it is not worth the price. Itgalls me that a book like this can seem to live forever while gougingundergraduates with poor revisions, and "new" editions designedsolely to sell more books. Right now there are better books at half theprice. I'm moving on.
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Subjects:  1. Language    2. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    3. News Editing    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    6. Press & journalism    7. Writing & editing guides    8. Copy-reading    9. Editing & Proofreading    10. Editing    11. Journalism   

Reviews (1)

Inside a successful magazine
As a freelance journalist and author I have read many books on writing for magazines and editing them. This one gives the clearest account I have seen of the different ways a magazine editor relates to staff and freelance writers and how he/she commissions, guides and gets the best out of them. Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Editing & Proofreading    3. Industries - Media & Communications Industries    4. Journalism    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts & Disciplines / Journalism    8. Media studies    9. Press & journalism   

Editorial Review

Who knew a stylebook could be so much fun? For lovers of language, Read more

Reviews (27)

A decent book, but it has some errors and details missing.
I was walking around the local library the other day and came across multiple books on writing. To my surprise, the public library had more books on writing than the college library. I thought to myself, "I've been looking for these kind of books to enhance my writing!" So I grasped this book in my hands and began reading away. As I continued through this book, I began to notice the editorial commas. I slowly connected the truth of the book's title to the content of the book: This was a book based around press and media writing. I found a nice and quiet place to read at the library's local history room and then sat down near a desk.
Light reading for word nerds
Walsh's book is excellent, and a fun read.He even responded quickly to an e-mailed question asking for clarification on a rule regarding quote marks and other punctuation.
A Misleading Book Title...and at Least One Wobbly Entry
I'll admit that I haven't read many entries in this book. However, I think I can safely say that I can't understand why so many people I've met in the publishing world (and reviewers here) like this book.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Editing    3. Editing & Proofreading    4. English language    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Reference    8. Style    9. Style manuals    10. Writing Skills    11. English    12. Language Arts & Disciplines / Editing & Proofreading    13. Usage guides   

Reviews (4)

the go-to style guide for biblical scholars
As the premier North-American-based professional association of biblical scholars, the Society of Biblical Literature ('SBL') not only publishes the prestigious and tightly-edited Journal of Biblical Literature ('JBL'); its influence has a knock-on effect on other journals in this and ancillary fields.
A Required Text!
This book must be on your shelf within easy reach if you are a graduate student of religion, a seminary student, or a scholar in the wide field of religion.Why?Because this book gives you the information you need to make your papers, articles, and books conform to the most used style in religious literature today--SBL.
Standard manual on style
The SBL Handbook of style is designed for those who are writing papers or dissertations in the field of ancient Near Eastern, Biblical and early Christian Studies. Most matters of style are comprehensively addressed, and where they are not, the editors refer the reader to the Chicago Manual of Style. The book is extremely useful for those who want to standardise their abbreviations and references. Several issues will have to be resolved in the next edition. First, although the book is nicely printed, the binding is poor, and fell apart only after I had used the book a few times. Second, several essential abbreviations are missing from the list of Greek and Latin works. Third, not all abbreviations are located in the same part of the book, and so one has to keep going backwards and forwards to find the appropriate reference. Fourth, the editors sometimes display a dogmatic approach to style. For example they insist that writers ought to use Miriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary for their spelling. This dictionary however is only one alongside many other excellent dictionaries such as, the American Heritage, and the Random House. These criticisms should not detract from the importance and usefulness of this volume, which I recommend wholeheartedly.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Bible - Reference - General    3. Church history    4. Civilization    5. Editing & Proofreading    6. Handbooks & Manuals    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Historiography    9. History, Ancient    10. Middle East    11. Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600    12. Reference    13. Religion    14. Style manuals    15. To 622    16. ASIA    17. Ancient Near East    18. Ancient World    19. BCE to c 500 CE    20. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    21. Publishing industry    22. Usage guides    23. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Subjects:  1. Business Communication - General    2. Communication    3. Editing    4. Editing & Proofreading    5. Industries - Media & Communications Industries    6. Journalism    7. Language    8. Language Arts & Disciplines    9. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    10. Media Studies    11. Business & Economics / Industries / Media & Communications Industries    12. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (15)

"Must read" for Tech. Writers/Tech. Translators too
When I compared the Table of Contents with that of the 2000 edition, I could not find any changes in section titles of page numbering.
Essential Professional Resource
I'm a professional copyeditor and consider Einsohn's book to be an essential reference.

Bad exercises
The exercises in the book seem to be purposefully difficult.Is this to discourage prospective copyeditors or so that Einsohn can show off her years of experience?In order to be instructional, the explanations should fully cover the concepts that one will be tested on in the exercises.Anyone who can read should be able to read the text and then successfully complete the exercises.This is basic to good instructional design. Instead, in the exercises, Einsohn throws in the exceptions to the rules or tests on concepts only hinted at in the text.Einsohn reminds me of the bad teachers we have all experienced at one time or another who get satisfaction from confusing students by talking around a subject instead of teaching the subject directly.Success of students is not the goal of these teachers.There are many finer points in copyediting, but there are sets of rules governing them all.It should be a simple matter to present the rules and then test the student on those rules. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Copy-reading    2. Editing    3. Editing & Proofreading    4. Grammar    5. Handbooks & Manuals    6. Handbooks, manuals, etc    7. Journalism, Commercial    8. Language    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    11. Linguistics    12. Publishing    13. Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics    14. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (2)

Too flashy
There is nothing that ruins a good reference book so much as over-attention to graphics. This book is very busy in both its design and implementation. Compared to other writing handbooks (particularly Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference), this book is very hard to use. For example, the ToC for the MLA documentation section is not listed on the tab for MLA, but is buried several pages in. There are nearly 200 pages that start this book that are a mixed and confusing grab-bag of the greatest hits of rhetoric and writing, but do little to engage students in the act of crafting a written artifact. Also, after using this book for a semester, the tabs began to fray. As a teacher of first-year composition, I strongly recommend A Writer's Reference if you are looking for a user-friendly and comprehensive handbook for writing courses. This Harbrace book, which is the "Brief" version at 592 pages, is difficult to use as a teacher and as a student, and some information is nearly impossible to find (e.g. block quotation style guidelines).

Comprehensive and Convenient
Here is a terrific reference resource for anyone who frequently composes letters, e-mails, reports, etc. That is, for just about everyone. Even with various aids provided within software (eg to correct spelling), basic mistakes of grammar go undetected...and "send the wrong message" (both literally and symbolically) to recipients ofwhat you write. Inside the front cover, the authors provide an especially handy detailed index (for questions concerning writing, grammar, effective sentences, diction, punctuation, and mechanics as well as glossaries of usage and terms) which directs their reader to the appropriate page or pages in the Handbook; on the back inside cover of the book, they then provide an equally handy list of checklists (also with page references) followed by a list of revision symbols. There are several such reference resources which will serve you well. In my opinion, this is the most comprehensive...and the easiest to use on a regular basis. I also urge you to check out Strunk & White's The Elements of Style and Stephen King's On Writing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Editing & Proofreading    4. English language    5. Grammar    6. Handbooks & Manuals    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Language    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    11. Report writing    12. Rhetoric    13. Writing Skills    14. English    15. Grammar & vocabulary    16. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    17. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (19)

This author is the epitome of witty
Even if you're not interested in journalism - if all that you're looking for is a fun read - then pick up this book. He takes examples of good work and explains why it's good, as well as poor work and points out the deficiencies in a way this is both entertaining and enlightening. I don't agree with all of his opinions, but I very much enjoyed the book nonetheless.

Good Resource
As a college journalism minor, I found a lot of information in this book.
How to avoid an attack of The Elongated Yellow Fruit
"The Associated Press Guide to News Writing" makes more points in 136 pages than do most writing books four times the size. One would expect no less from a master news editor like Rene Chappon. The formula Cappon follows is to write a very brief explanation of a problem; an example of the problem; a sentence dissecting the example; a rewriting of the problem sentence; and a summary of the topic. The result is almost always memorable. Consider this typical section on The Elegant Variation (capitalized words below are italicized in the original):Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Careers - General    3. Careers / Job Opportunities    4. Composition & Creative Writing - Newspapers/Magazines    5. Editing & Proofreading    6. Journalism    7. Journalism (General)    8. Language    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    11. Writing Skills   

Subjects:  1. Editing & Proofreading    2. Education    3. Education / Teaching    4. Teaching Methods & Materials - Language Arts   

Editorial Review

Good, clear writing appears effortless. But chances are, the more effective the communication, the more work that went into making it so. Rare is the individual whose professional or personal life doesn't call for some written communication. Jan Venolia's Read more

Reviews (2)

Fits nicely on th writing desk
Jan Venolia covers the editing process in essentially five stages: Content, style, punctuation, grammar and mechanical style. Rewrite Right functions better as a grammatical reference book than as a guide for how to edit an article or book. This is because her discussion of style, punctuation and mechanical style all inherently involve understanding grammar.
Good functional little book
This is a simple and functional book that will assist any editor or writer. It contains some very useful advice about the craft of rewriting which is 80 per cent of writing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Communication - General    2. Business English    3. Business writing    4. Editing & Proofreading    5. English language    6. Grammar    7. Language    8. Language Arts & Disciplines    9. Language Experience Approach    10. Reference    11. Rhetoric    12. Style    13. Writing Skills    14. English    15. Reference works    16. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (13)

Never Use it
I had to purchase this manual for my 1st Year Legal Writing class in Fall 2000.That was the last time I ever used it! Everyone I know uses the Blue Book.You'll probably never use the ALWD manual outside of your law school class.

Never Again . . .
I was required to use ALWD's Citation System in law school, in part because one of the professors is a member. However, as I do not work around any of the Courts that use it (e.g. 11th Cir., Montana, the Marshall Islands), then it is absolutely useless.
I didn't know how bad it was 'til I started blue-booking
There are several reasons this book is inferior to the Harvard Blue Book (HBB).
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Subjects:  1. Annotations and citations (Law)    2. Citation of legal authorities    3. Editing & Proofreading    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Law    6. Legal Writing    7. Reference    8. Research    9. United States   

Reviews (15)

Bly has great experience and helpful hints
Learning to write content for an effective website is crucial for any business or organization.Not only does Bly recommend good writing practices, he also describes the best way to design and market your website.This book is a credible source and a helpful resource for anyone pursuing web content development.
Weak, Lacking Depth and Dated material
I've read many books in this segment and I would strongly recommend reading Hot Text: Web Writing that Works or Networds. Robert Bly is a "print guy" that thought it would be interesting to write a book on electronic copy.I would say that the first half of the book is written by supposed experts in on-line marketing.The book is crowded with all sorts of references to other people's work. This leads to a very choppy style of reading in my opinion.The author uses case studies from work that he has already completed but rarely does the content match the electronic world.For a book that is written in 2003, the data is incredibly dated. The author is comfortable with using data from 1996 in a book that talks about the ever changing environment of On-Line marketing.Most of the data regarding internet statistics was incredibly dated. The author talksabout the principals of good copy writing but rarely goes into any depth with regards to examples of the principals.I found the writing to be lazy to say the least.Clearly this author is capitalizing on the interest of electronic copy.Take out the experts that know about on-line marketing, you're left with an incredibly weak book.Although there are is a lot of expert reference, rarely do the experts go into any depth with regards to their arguments or points.Ifthis book is the only book that you are exposed to within this segment; you might be left thinking that you read an average book. When you compare the book to other books in the same segment, it simply doesn't compare.Not a good book.

Out of date...
This book is totally out of date for 2003 and 2004! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Advertising & Promotion    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. E-Commerce - Internet Marketing    6. Intellectual Property - Copyright    7. Marketing - General    8. Advertising    9. Business & Management    10. Internet    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Editing & Proofreading   

Reviews (1)

Perfect for Students or Pros Wanting to Sharpen Their Skills
This book is great as either an introduction or refresher to the fundamentals of copy and layout. It is a great aidto writingenticing headlines (using the author's A-B-C formula); learing to writer about benefits, rather than features; preparing actual layouts for various media; and writing for braodcast and interactive media. Read more

Subjects:  1. Advertising & Promotion    2. Advertising copy    3. Advertising layout and typogra    4. Advertising layout and typography    5. Business / Economics / Finance    6. Business Communication - General    7. Editing & Proofreading    8. Language    9. Language Arts & Disciplines    10. Advertising    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Editing & Proofreading    12. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (14)

Not just for lawyers
I am a physician who tested out of all college English to focus on science. Writing chart notes, scientific articles, or even parts of textbooks does not prepare one for the type of writing one must do when performing legal work.
Shockingly good
In short, this is the first and only style guide that I have ever been excited to continue reading and share with others.It has really improvedmy writing.

For those who wish to reach beyond the stars.
First introduced to Bryan A. Garner at one of his brief writing seminar, several years ago, I have since been a loyal reader of his works.
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Subjects:  1. Business Law    2. Editing & Proofreading    3. Language    4. Language Arts & Disciplines    5. Law    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Legal Writing    8. Legal composition    9. Methodology    10. United States    11. Foundations of law    12. Law / Legal Writing    13. Legal skills & practice    14. Literature/English | Writing | Business, Legal, & Technical Writing    15. Writing skills   

Subjects:  1. Business Communication - General    2. Business/Economics    3. Editing & Proofreading    4. General    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Research & Methodology    7. Science    8. Scientific Writing    9. Technical editing    10. Language for technical & scientific purposes    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    12. Writing & editing guides    13. Technical Writing    14. Business    15. Science and Nature