The Naval Institute Guide to Naval Writing (Paperback)

by Robert Shenk (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Written by a naval officer who taught English at two service academies, this is the third edition of the premier guide to professional writing for the naval services. The book is widely used by officers, enlisted men and women and civilians in both the Navy and Marine Corps. Shenk provides sound, practical advice on all common naval writing assignments. This third edition adds a new chapter on writing emails and updates the whole book to take account of the way naval writing is done in today's computer age. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author
Robert Shenk, a retired captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve who taught at the U.S. Naval and Air Force academies, is a professor of English at the University of New Orleans. He is the author of The Naval Institute Guide to Naval Writing, 2nd Edition (978-1-55750-831-7) Paperback, 1997. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 374 pages
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press; 2 Sub edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557508313
• ISBN-13: 978-1557508317
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #198,208 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good reference book, March 30, 2000

By A Customer

This is a very good reference book for most types of formal writing, including directives, point papers, award justifications, etc. This is even used in many leadership classes. I keep this very close to my desk. The evaluation and fitrep information is some of the most current available, which isn't very common with this rapidly changing system. If you do any type of formal writing at all, this book is absolutely required.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reference for Sailors, a Useful Reference for Every One Else, October 1, 2005

By	C. Davis (Hanover, MD) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Guide to Naval Writing is geared toward the Navy and the Navy's formats for writing different documents. However, if your job requires you to produce and deliver letters, memos, instructions, speeches, briefs, technical studies, and articles for various media then this book might be useful for you as well. As a career Navy Officer, I have used this book more times than I can count.

In the interest of full disclosure, many of the examples are real documents regarding real people (with the names changed for privacy) and this reviewer knows at least two of those individuals personally.

This book can be read end-to-end or used as needed to aid in individual projects. The book is organized into twelve chapters each, except for the introduction, addressing a unique writing requirement. Those are: Letters, Memos, and Directives; Staff Writing; Naval Messages; Performance Evaluations; Awards and Commendations; Speaking and Briefing; Technical Reports, Executive Summaries, and Abstracts; JAG Manual Investigations; Writing for the News Media; The Professional Article; and a handbook for style and format in naval writing.

Each of these is superb. However, the material is becoming somewhat dated, especially the evaluations section. There have been numerous changes since the "new" evaluation system came out in 1996. One should use that section with caution. It would be great if the author or the Naval Institute came out with a new edition of this book to reflect some of the incremental changes to naval correspondence.

If you are not in the Navy, this is still a useful book. The handbook chapter is useful as well as the tips on point papers, briefings, trip reports, and writing for the press that would be applicable for almost any other job that involves writing. It is easy to imagine one using this book to get an idea of how to frame and format a topic for any of the above mentioned requirements.

This book is a must read for those in the Navy. If you have a son or daughter who is going to be commissioned soon, this book should be on their bookshelf.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb manual, a must for Navy-Marine officers, February 6, 2002

By	Captain David W. Spangler (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

My Group CO bought this manual for all of his subordinate commands. I received one of the twenty copies and use it almost once a week to assist me with my correspondence duties. It addresses almost everything imaginable from fitness reports to letters to promotion boards and award citations to letters of extra military instruction. Although the Department of the Navy has put out a correspondence manual, it is not in as much detail and does not provide as good examples like the Guide to Naval Writing is. If you plan on being a successful officer, you will have to learn to communicate effectively. Although this book cannot do everything for you, it will get you leaps and bounds ahead of most other officers. Semper Fidelis