Customer Reviews

Merriam-Webster's Secretarial Handbook (Third Edition)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We are a small firm, and I am a licensed professional who types his own correspondence, contracts for clients, transmittals, etc.. Because the styles and forms of business letters have changed since I was in college, I decided I needed a good reference to help me with the tricky stuff that comes along occassionally.

This book did the job. Whether I need to know how to address a letter to an elected official, or pressure someone to pay an invoice, the Secretarial Handbook covers it. From punctuation to collation, this is the best single office reference I have ever used.

If you do your own administrative tasks, buy one for yourself for National Secretaries (Administrative Professionals) Day.

We are a small firm, and I am a licensed professional who types his own correspondence, contracts for clients, transmittals, etc.. Because the styles and forms of business letters have changed since I was in college, I decided I needed a good reference to help me with the tricky stuff that comes along occassionally.

This book did the job. Whether I need to know how to address a letter to an elected official, or pressure someone to pay an invoice, the Secretarial Handbook covers it. From punctuation to collation, this is the best single office reference I have ever used.

If you do your own administrative tasks, buy one for yourself for National Secretaries (Administrative Professionals) Day.

A superb one-stop reference volume covering topics highly relevant to the duties of secretaries and personal/admininstrative assistants, this handbook has withstood the test of time. The third edition dates from the early 1990s, but most of the many tasks treated comprehensively in this handbook have changed very little over the years: forms of address, basic grammar and punctuation rules, formal business correspondence, organization of meetings and travel, postal mail procedures, telephone etiquette and procedures, and so on. A few chapters that are very technology-sensitive (computers and word-processing equipment, desktop publishing, etc.) have dated considerably, but the handbook overall is so useful that it's worth having within arm's reach in just about any office-for both secretaries and their managers.

In an increasingly global business environment, this handbook is also very useful for assistants and secretaries outside the U.K. and U.S. who must deal with English-speaking colleagues on a regular basis by phone, e-mail, or mail.

If you need to know the correct format for an office document or the correct way to address an official, it is in this book. This book covers the traditional means of communication as well as the electronic arena. It is well organized and very easy to use.

When I first started to make a secretarial career I was a newly grad and non-native English speaker. I got a job at an international company. I didn't know where and who to turn to as I was the only one who had to handle all the office tasks. Luckily, I found this handbook. To me, I studied English and secretarial essentials at the same time from it. And it really worked brilliantly. A year later I got promoted. I also recommend this handbook for everyone who newly starts his/her career or ones who need to improve their skills in the administrative field. Of course, they found it very useful and dependable.

Due to reorganizing of our agency I found myself doing more secretarial tasks than I was accustomed to. Ordered this book and I find the answer to how to do, and the best way to do anything I need to know. Great book.

My main reason for purchasing this book was to have a ready reference for correct punctuation and proper methods of addressing mailings when you are not familiar with the marital status of the recipients, but it offers so much more that it will be my 'go to' book for all things written. It now sits on my desk so that I might utilize it at a moment's notice.

Although it's an over 10 years old publication, its contents are the best I've seen so far.

I really like it and this reflects it being rated 5 stars, but I do think that the "A Guide for Business English" section is a bit long and focuses too much on grammar. Authors could maybe divert more thinking onto english usage, desktop publishing topics such as document layout editing with accepted "technical writing standards" for drafting numbered memorandums / articles and other documents (I base this idea in that Brazil has its own association for technical writing rules and standards related to formatting documents, the ABNT), especially with the inclusion of the new Quick Styles in Word 2007 - certainly something worthy to be explored.

Out-dated info apart, it's a clever and to the point book. It definitevely deserves a brand new "anniversary" edition, thoroughly revised to include latest trends in the field of office management.

This is THE book.

If you want more information or want to improve your skills, go on and buy it now!

this is a great book i used this book at home and in my office.