Customer Reviews

Writing Well, Longman Classics Edition (9th Edition)

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

 

 

As a retired magazine editor, writer, and writing teacher, I have found that the single best book about writing--the one from which I've learned the most myself--is Donald Hall's *Writing Well.* The most recent edition I've read is the fifth, so I can't speak for later editions, but I imagine they are just as good as the earlier ones. A poet and essayist, Hall himself writes beautifully and without condescension. The great strength of the book is the many vivid, appropriate, and memorable examples he uses to explain the principles of good writing. I'm especially fond of his chapters on "Words" and "Sentences." When I taught college writing, I found that this book was most appropriate for bright, highly motivated students who already had pretty good writing skills; it can be a bit overwhelming for remedial and average students. Professional and would-be-professional writers will find it an entertaining and enlightening read. They should put it on the shelf next to *The Elements of Style.*

There are a lot of books out there that tell you how to write, some are inspirational, others teach grammar. This book mixes the two to emphasize proper usage of sentence structure and linguistics to write the strongest prose. The book also centers on revision to ensure better, polished writing.