Customer Reviews

The Business Writer's Handbook: Seventh Edition

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

We've been using this book (previous and current edition) in our writing training courses (WritingRefresher dot com) for the last five years. It is well organized and laid out, and, in addition to being useful in our 1 day course, it has ongoing value as a reference for students.

We've looked at other books but nothing we've found to date works as well in both the classroom and as a reference book.

A good resource. However, I was focused on copyright implications and found this edition to be less helpful than prior editions. There is a wealth of guidance on other aspects of business writing, which should be helpful to all type of inquiry. I would recommend this resource.

Well organized and easy to use. Absolutely valuable. Gives good examples of letters, memos, basic grammatical issues.

The authors keep current with common and popular business writing practices. Do they make/set the standards or reflect them? Business writing books abound in the marketplace. This one (or the companion Handbook of Technical Writing) needs to be on the desk of everyone who has to write memos or proposals or reports--next to a good dictionary and the Gregg Handbook.

Here is a list of resources:

BUSINESS AND TECHNICAL WRITING

Bibliography

Alred, Gerald J., Charles T. Brusaw, and Walter E. Oliu. The Business Writer's Handbook. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003.
---. Handbook of Technical Writing. 8th ed. New York: St.Martin's, 2006.
The American Heritage College Dictionary. 4th ed. 2002.
American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association. 5th ed. Washington: Amer. Psychological Assn., 2001.
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003.
Franklin Covey Style Guide. 3rd ed. Salt Lake City: Franklin Covey, 1999.
Garner, Bryan A. Garner's Modern American Usage. New York: Oxford UP, 2003.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.
Goldstein, Norm, ed. The Associated Press Stylebook. New York: Basic, 2004.
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. IEEE Standards Style Manual. New York: IEEE, 2005.
Sabin, William. A. The Gregg Reference Manual. 10th ed. New York: McGraw, 2005.
Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. New York: Allyn, 2000.
United States. Government Printing Office. Style Manual. Rev. ed. Washington: GPO, 2000.

I actually own the 5th edition of the book, but it is a wonderful reference tool. I've referred to the handbook time and time again, and it has many visual examples for you to follow. No individual in the business community should go without this book.

This is a great handbook. The alphabetized entries make finding topics easy. I had been relying on other handbooks that are more academic in nature; this one is meant for the workplace. It contains information and examples on many topics that are hard to find in other writing handbooks. I highly recommend adding this to your library if you do much writing in your position.

It's a great handbook to use as a reference guide. Clear examples and easy to navigate. Index is great starting point to find what you need.