The Business Writer's Handbook, Ninth Edition (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This fifth edition of The Business Writer's Handbook consists of nearly 700 spiral-bound pages written with both business students and professionals in mind. (It is also available in a paper-bound version, but how nice to be able to lay the book flat on one's desk for ease of reference.) "Our focus," say the editors, "is on helping professionally oriented writers develop effective skills and strategies for communicating in a rapidly changing environment," and that they do. The entries, arranged alphabetically, are straightforward and to the point. Sandwiched between items addressing issues of English grammar and word usage are guides to writing résumés, resignation letters, and everything in between (e.g., abstracts, annual reports, e-mail, executive summaries, form letters, feasibility studies, memos, mission statements, proposals, and trade journal articles). Throughout the book, the point is made that good writing has a marked effect on business communications--a short, personal collection letter, for instance, "will usually motivate a customer to pay a bill faster than will a form letter." Since the book is written for the business professional, many of the usage and grammar issues are illustrated with business-related examples, but don't think that that means the book isn't any fun. Consider the first sentence in an entry for gobbledygook: "Gobbledygook is writing that suffers from an overdose of traits guaranteed to make it stuffy, pretentious, and wordy." --Jane Steinberg --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"The Business Writer's Handbook is an excellent reference book, with reader-friendly sections on grammar, punctuation, and style."--Jeanne S. McPherson, University of Denver

"Since The Business Writer's Handbook first came out, it has set the standard for business communication [with its] wealth of information and ease of use."--Charlene W. Martindale, Idaho State University

"The concise style and brevity of each entry make reading easier and more attractive to students...I propose they keep it as a career-long handbook."--Evan Davis, Southwestern Oregon Community College
-- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; Ninth Edition, Revised Edition edition (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312575106
• ISBN-13: 978-0312575106
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #56,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars sort of cheating, October 22, 2003

By	Business School Student (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Business Writer's Handbook: Seventh Edition (Hardcover)

This book is exactly the same as "Handbook of Technical Writing" by same authors. The only difference is in the cover picture and colors. I think it is not a cool thing to sell the same book with two names without mentioning it. So if you have that one, do not buy this one. They are exactly the same.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Tool, October 20, 2000

By	Jason Kwong (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Business Writer's Handbook (Spiral-bound)

I actually own the 5th edition of the book, but it is a wonderful reference tool. I've referred to the handbook time and time again, and it has many visual examples for you to follow. No individual in the business community should go without this book.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Extremely Useful Tool, July 28, 2000

By	"mrgrege" (Council Bluffs, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Business Writer's Handbook, Sixth Edition (Business Writer's Handbook, 6th Edition) (Hardcover)

This is a great handbook. The alphabetized entries make finding topics easy. I had been relying on other handbooks that are more academic in nature; this one is meant for the workplace. It contains information and examples on many topics that are hard to find in other writing handbooks. I highly recommend adding this to your library if you do much writing in your position.