Customer Reviews

Media Writer's Handbook: A Guide to Common Editing and Writing Problems

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Dr. Arnold's book should sit next to any journalist's AP Stylebook. That says a lot about the number of times I've pulled it off my shelf to double-check the use of a verb or just to make sure I'm using the correct word or punctuation for the writing situation at hand.

It's quick, it's easy and it's also a reminder that despite the number of years I've been writing in journalistic style, there's an awful lot of ways to foul up. This book helps make sure I don't embarrass myself.

I've used Arnold's book since 1997, when I purchased it for a journalism course at Marshall University. If I had known what a valuable resource this book would prove to be, I would have bought several. As a writer, I turn to this book on a regular basis. The pages are worn, the metal binding is bent, but I will never stop using this book. Media Writer's Handbook is a great source for writers and editors in all genres.

I was a student of Dr. Arnold's at Marshall University, so I'm not completely unbiased. With that said, however, this book, the author aside, is always the first or second book I consult for journalism problems, questions or concerns. Completely different than the AP Stylebook, which focuses more on getting names/places/things correctly identified (read: how to correctly spell and hyphenate "Band-Aid"), this book is a wonderful source for basic English refreshers, such as noun-pronoun agreement, prepositions and sentences and syntax; punctuation, including how and when to use and not use periods, question marks, etc.; and, it includes a terrific "Quick Reference" section detaiing words that are frequently confused and misspelled, such as "over" and "more than," and a section on wordiness and trite expressions, such as not using "first annual." I am still working out of my 1996 edition, and find there are many days I wouldn't make it through without it! Thank you, Dr. Arnold, for your instruction and this wonderful book I'll carry with me throughout my career. (I may even have to update to a more current version?)

This book has made me realize how much I misuse the English language in both speech and text. I will probably never be able to commit all the information in the book to memory, but its still very useful.

If you care about the language, you'll find this book invaluable. I like it better than any English grammar book I've seen. Dr. Arnold's book is a remarkably strong, easy-to-understand book. It's a book I always turn to when I am in a crunch with my own writing.