A Writer's Reference: 2003 MLA Update [Plastic Comb]

Diana Hacker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312412622 | ISBN-13: 978-0312412623 | Publication Date: May 12, 2003 | Edition: 5th

A proven success. The best-selling college textbook of any kind. Thoroughly class tested and enthusiastically endorsed by millions of students and their instructors at more than 1300 colleges and universities across the country. Updated with MLA's 1999 guidelines. Spiral.

Product Details

• Plastic Comb: 466 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; 5th edition (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312412622
• ISBN-13: 978-0312412623
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small, expensive, important, May 7, 2006

By 

Elaine G. Pate "Elaine The Goddess" (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Writer's Reference: 2003 MLA Update (Plastic Comb)

Let's be real, this book is small -- almost pocket-sized. But that's the whole idea. This tough little book provides a quick reference for all English composition forms, so serious writers will want to carry it everywhere. It is a must-have for any high-school or college student taking English composition. Any person who writes for a living should have this book as well. The spiral binding allows the open book to sit flat on your desk. Its cover is heavily laminated so it can be tossed into a backpack or briefcase without thrashing it too much. ...And you won't want to thrash it because this is one expensive bad-boy book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great reference for all of us!, September 15, 2005

By 

Jacob G. Kunzler "Relznuk" (Willard, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Writer's Reference: 2003 MLA Update (Plastic Comb)

Diana Hacker's Writers reference is among the finer language references that I have ever used. As a beginning novelist, I must say that I found it priceless. It was an excellent resource to have sitting at my desk, and I really appreciated how easy it was to look topics up. The only negative comment that I have about this book is the price. It's quite expensive for the size of book it is, but it is a reference that I will be able to use for years.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An actual useful real sized manual better than other Hacker Books, December 22, 2006

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Writer's Reference: 2003 MLA Update (Plastic Comb)

I have been published as a writer since 1967. I have written all kinds of things from Marxist polemics to restaurant reviews, from literary poetry to computer technical writing, from journal articles on the history of the banjo to literary short stories, and hundreds of reader reviews here on Amazon (Check them out!). I have taught college English composition for the past 7 years. I love A Writer's Reference.

A Writer's Reference is a great minimum level handbook to use for writing in and out of class. This is better than other Hacker products, particularly as a writer's handibook.

Hacker produces handbooks on all levels. One I like, except for its format that means the book will disappear page by page after more than one semester, is _Rules for Writers_. That is a full handbook, suitable as a textbook for English Composition 1 & 2 without any other text. One I do not like is the _Bedford Handbook_. There Hacker tries to dumb down the book, but ends up not providing enough explanation for students who need to learn on one hand, and not being handy enough for working writers to use to look up things.

A Writer's Reference has enough grammar, punctuation, usage, and mechanics to help composition students. Of, course, it would not work well as a remedial English tool, but that is not its task.


For decades before I ever taught college, I gathered these comp books as an aid for writing, copy editing, and proof reading. I am always looking for a handy reference that does not slow me down when I am looking for information. This is it! A Writer's Reference is short, sweet, clear, and superbly indexed. It took me one minute with A Writer's Reference book to find a solution to a usage and grammar question that has perplexed me over the past year.

The high price is a sad reflection of the racket of college textbook sales. However, A Writer's Reference is cheaper than comparable texts. It lacks enough reading and writing examples to serve as the sole text in a composition course. However, A Writer's Reference is an excellent resource as a handbook either for composition students using another text with more essay materials or for writers.

Particularly, for writers looking for a reference text, it is worth look around here and elsewhere to find more inexpensive used or remaindered copies of A writer.