A unique combination of textbook and reference guide, The Classics of Style is an ornate, yet practical guide to the art of English. From the work of some of America s greatest writers, they teach us the essential elements of our language. From the rudimentary basics to the spark of literary genius, The Classics of Style is the quintessential language stylebook, unequalled in content and quality. Beginning with Professor William Strunk s timeless masterpiece on writing and grammar fundamentals, this book is illuminated by the guidance and advice of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Henry James, Frederic Taber Cooper, Edgar Allan Poe and Edward Sapir. In ornate succession, each author bestows their individual techniques and inspiration of their craft in this volume: the roots of their genius. In todays communication age, it is imperative to effectively utilize and organize words concisely and clearly. This book was designed to reach a broad array of professions. It provides design guidance, content development, usage grammar and spelling rules to professional novelists, editors, reporters and poets, and of course college and advanced secondary students in liberal arts classes. Illustrated and annotated with short biographies of these immanent contributors of our literary culture, this book serves to give us consistent guidance and direction. Please contact the publisher for the available Instructor's Manual to this title.
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
William Strunk was an English professor at Cornell University for 46 years. The Elements of Style became his best known work, a simple and straightforward self-published textbook for his students. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a man whose outspoken passions for the politics of his day sharply swayed his career and influenced the nation. His genius was rooted in the beauty of his writing and oratory, despite what some have branded an abstract and complicated style. Frederic Taber Cooper was a New York University professor and an editor of The Forum. His masterpiece on composition, The Craftsmanship of Writing, was published in 1911. Edgar Allan Poe was a man whose life and demise were a close reflection of his mysterious, macabre, literature. Usually working as an editor, he was an early developer of the American Romantic Movement, as well as the short story form of writing in America. Walt Whitman, remains, as many feel, the greatest poet in American history. He attacked the rigid style of contemporary literature, emphasizing a new free verse form which was to transform the artistic medium in America. Edward Sapir was both an eminent linguist and anthropologist. A master of the art of speech, he helped develop the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Henry James was a well-publicized American and English novelist, whose characters were an intricate study in extremes. Henry David Thoreau was an influential author, poet and philosopher, supporting limited government and founding the environmental movement in the United States.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Essential Writing Resource,
By Mary Chamberlain (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Classics of Style: The Fundamentals of Language Style From Our American Craftsmen (Paperback)
A book like this is a worthwhile investment for any student of literature. It contains a plethora of information and writing advice from the greatest of American authors, compiled in a way that makes it both accessible and engaging. Using a book like this as a writing guide is like learning about cooking from Emeril--you are drawing information from the best in the field.
I teach English to high school students in various grades, and believe that this book could be integrated into many of the classes, from punctuation basics all the way up to advanced writing techniques. The Classics of Style would have been a great resource in the college courses I have taken as well. This is the type of book I wish I had purchased my freshman year of college. Quite frankly, it is the only style guide I have ever owned that I actually wanted to continue reading after finding the answer to my question.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What American Authors Can Show Us,
By Liz Amerdson "Literature Liz" (New York City, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Classics of Style: The Fundamentals of Language Style From Our American Craftsmen (Paperback)
I thought that this book, which I had to read for an English composition class, was interesting in that it had a good amount of advice from a variety of notable authors. Often with these style books it only has one, or two, authors in them, but this one had many.
I particularly liked how the book started with William Strunk's work, which is a good guide to begin the hard work of writing successfully. The other writers often are rather dense with their material, and can be difficult to understand if you are quickly reading over their articles. Strunk's work is much more read-on-the-fly material, as a reference work. The book was a little smaller than I had thought that it would be, and I felt that possibly the cost of it is a bit much for what you get. However, much of the material is very well written, and I would recommend this book to others, if you have a few extra dollars. No, this book isn't perfect, but it does give the readers a great understanding of what these famous American authors stood for, and what they considered greatness. It clearly shows what motivated these American authors, what pushed them to write and create in a way that has made them notable long after their demise. I did appreciate the small biographies that that are near the front of each article, they give a brief overview of the writer's life, their major achievements, and what their major contribution was to our literary culture. Some of them also have photographs. I believe it is really difficult to quantify what great writing really is, and I feel that that is what this book is attempting to do: to show us what excellence in writing is supposed to be. It is true that the editing of the book is a little confusing, but I think that it is due more to the complexity of the material, and how it is to be properly organized. From what I can tell, the American Academic Press hasn't had many books out, and they appear to be a rather new company (because I can't find any more on them). However, this book is the first edition of this title, so I don't suppose it is to be completely perfect yet. I do wonder, however, whether in time it will become a collector's piece, much like that of William Strunk's book that he had made for his own students? I am not really sure. I think that if you do have a good eye for writing well, and you would like some guidance on how to improve, it would only make sense to look at how writers of our past did their work.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Tool For All Writers...,
By
This review is from: The Classics of Style: The Fundamentals of Language Style From Our American Craftsmen (Paperback)
This book is an outstanding resource for anyone who aspires to write solid, compelling, and thoughtful bodies of work. Unlike other writing guides, which only contain the perspective of one or two authors, The Classics of Style contains the thoughts of several authors, including some of America's most celebrated scribes: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allen Poe, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman. Some of the works contained in this volume are extremely rare and out of print; The Classics of Style does modern writers a great service by taking the best from these writings and assembling them in an easy-to-read form and by introducing modern writers to the writings of lesser-known individuals such as Edward Sapir.
I also appreciated the fact that The Classics of Style guides readers on both grammar AND stylistic matters. The inclusion of both types of content reflects the publishers' awareness of the fact that exemplary writing is both grammatically correct as well as compellingly written. Some writers are mechanically sound but lack the creative spark that is found in the works of America's most hallowed writers. Other writers spin a creative and compelling yarn; however, their tortured nature of their prose prevents the true genius of their work from being truly fleshed out. Much to my delight and satisfaction, The Classics of Style addresses both of these matters, providing insight and counsel that enables holistic development of writers. As part of my position as a high school social studies teacher, I am often asked to provide writing advice and assistance to my students. In the future, The Classics of Style will definitely be the book that I will assign to my students for writing guidance. I recommend it wholeheartedly to all who seek to improve the quality and clarity of their writing endeavors.
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