The Business Writer's Handbook, Eighth Edition [Hardcover]

Gerald J. Alred (Author), Charles T. Brusaw (Author), Walter E. Oliu (Author)

Book Description

Series: Business Writer's Handbook | Publication Date: March 7, 2006

Now in its eighth edition, this classic book remains the complete business-writing reference for students and professionals alike. Alphabetically organized and easy to use, its nearly 400 entries provide guidance for the most common types of business documents and correspondence, from brochures, press releases, and résumés, to executive summaries, proposals, and reports. Abundant sample documents and visuals throughout the book demonstrate effective business communication, reflecting current practices for formatting documents and using e-mail. In addition, advice on organizing, researching, writing, and revising complements thorough treatment of grammar, usage, style, and punctuation to provide comprehensive help with writing skills. This edition has been thoroughly revised to include expanded advice for analyzing the context of different writing situations, using and integrating visuals, and dealing with ethical concerns in business writing, including plagiarism. Entries throughout have been revised, updated, consolidated, and streamlined to provide the most accurate and accessible information. Comprehensive yet concise, The Business Writer's Handbook remains the quick reference faithful users have come to appreciate.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This fifth edition of The Business Writer's Handbook consists of nearly 700 spiral-bound pages written with both business students and professionals in mind. (It is also available in a paper-bound version, but how nice to be able to lay the book flat on one's desk for ease of reference.) "Our focus," say the editors, "is on helping professionally oriented writers develop effective skills and strategies for communicating in a rapidly changing environment," and that they do. The entries, arranged alphabetically, are straightforward and to the point. Sandwiched between items addressing issues of English grammar and word usage are guides to writing résumés, resignation letters, and everything in between (e.g., abstracts, annual reports, e-mail, executive summaries, form letters, feasibility studies, memos, mission statements, proposals, and trade journal articles). Throughout the book, the point is made that good writing has a marked effect on business communications--a short, personal collection letter, for instance, "will usually motivate a customer to pay a bill faster than will a form letter." Since the book is written for the business professional, many of the usage and grammar issues are illustrated with business-related examples, but don't think that that means the book isn't any fun. Consider the first sentence in an entry for gobbledygook: "Gobbledygook is writing that suffers from an overdose of traits guaranteed to make it stuffy, pretentious, and wordy." --Jane Steinberg --This text refers to the Spiral-bound edition.

Review

"The Business Writer's Handbook is a 'keeper.' Students can use it for years after they graduate, and I think that many of them do."
--Linda Van Buskirk, Cornell University

"The Business Writer's Handbook is an excellent reference that students can use throughout their academic career and beyond. I intend to recommend this text to my students and to the executives I work with as a consultant."
--Anne Greenhalgh, University of Pennsylvania

"This is the best business writing handbook that I have seen. Ever since a colleague showed me The Business Writer's Handbook, I have not even been tempted by another handbook."
--William Allegrezza, Indiana University Northwest

"The Business Writer's Handbook is by far the best on the market."
--Stuart Brown, New Mexico State University

"The concise grammar explanations are very useful. The Business Writer's Handbook provides excellent examples and walks students through some difficult concepts."
--Lesley Baker, Tulane University

"The Business Writer's Handbook meets the skill level and needs of my students. It is a source I encourage them to keep as part of their professional libraries…This is the only handbook I've ever considered using, and I've been using it since the first edition."
--James R. Stull, San Jose State University

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; Revised edition (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312352689
• ISBN-13: 978-0312352684
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars sort of cheating, October 22, 2003

By 

Business School Student (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Business Writer's Handbook: Seventh Edition (Hardcover)

This book is exactly the same as "Handbook of Technical Writing" by same authors. The only difference is in the cover picture and colors. I think it is not a cool thing to sell the same book with two names without mentioning it. So if you have that one, do not buy this one. They are exactly the same.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Why do they still sell this?, February 11, 2010

By 

Ian N. (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Business Writer's Handbook (Spiral-bound)

I mistakenly bought this edition. Though I'm sure the information hasn't changed terribly much, it's still almost 15 years old and definitely antiquated.

With this type of reference material, it's better to stay current.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical classic that works for multiple audiences, October 31, 2008

By 

Eric H. Roth "English teacher/conversationali... (Venice Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Business Writer's Handbook, Eighth Edition (Hardcover)

This practical classic of business communication works for multiple audiences from MBA students and project managers to undergraduate business students and international business working in English as a second language. The concise, clear entries explain topics, provide model documents, and cover an impressive range of alphabetically arranged materials.

While the new 9th edition features orange highlighted text, more weblinks, and a stronger section on visuals, budget conscious consumers can find plenty of value in this 8th edition. The basic principles of business writing remain the same - and same English grammar problems puzzle writers today as a few years ago. ESL students, by the way, will especially appreciate the short grammar tips and editing suggestions.

Bottomline: The Business Writer's Handbook should be on your bookshelf if you work in business, write business documents, or study business communication. If you can afford the 9th edition, buy it. Otherwise, pick up this classic in the 8th edition and save yourself some money.