The Associated Press Stylebook (Paperback)

~ Norm Goldstein (Author)
Key Phrases: see courtesy titles, see datelines, fair report privilege, New York, United States, Webster's New World (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Whether you're a student struggling through Composition 101 or a professional writer on a quest for perfection, The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law is always ready to fill the role of trusted advisor to your creative genius. Revised and updated in 2000, this version contains a 40-page section on media law, guides for punctuation and bibliographies, and specialized glossaries for business and sports writing, all in addition to its 280-page generalized stylebook.

Within each section, entries are alphabetized, and searching for an answer is a fairly simple process. Tricky words--those that can be hyphenated (know-how) or not (jukebox), homonyms, nonstandard spellings (mo-ped)--are given their own short entries. Larger categories, such as religions, military titles, the Internet, and datelines, have multiple pages devoted to their explanations, but detail and clarity are brought nicely together in each listing. Many entries concern brand names and trademarks--never again will you question whetherpingpong or Ping-Pong should be used in the flier for your table-tennis tournament.

While a few sections of this book--the ones concerning media law, photo captions, filing the wire, and proofreading marks--will most likely be used by professional and student journalists and editors, the majority of this book is an excellent tool for anyone who ever has to write for the public. Whether it's a newsletter for your badminton league, a training manual for your employees, or a press release detailing your company's quarterly earnings, this stylebook will help you turn out well-written copy that gains the approval of every English teacher you've ever had. --Jill Lightner --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"The Bible of the newspaper industry." -- American Bookseller

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Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; Revised edition (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465004881
• ISBN-13: 978-0465004881
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #156,113 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for journalists, January 6, 2001

By	D. Peters "rhyme_and_reason" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (Paperback)

This book is an indispensible resource for writers, students, editors, journalists, businesspeople -- anybody who needs to write proposals, papers, stories, you name it. Clearly organized in dictionary form, this book contains the answers to those key and nagging questions. Is the "m" in "English muffin" supposed to be capitalized? When do you hyphenate "right-wing"? How exactly do you properly use "lay and lie"? What's the appropriate abbreviation for an army corporal? And does a speaker stand behind or on a podium? Finally figure out which preposition is precisely correct.

In addition to common style questions like the ones above, the stylebook contains a wealth of common information. What is a mach number? How does one calculate heat indexes and wind chill factors? And other pieces of commonly needed information are interspersed throughout the text.

This edition also includes specific guides for business and sports terminology, as well as an Internet guide.

While less useful to those not members of the media, this text also includes a briefing on media law. Some sections, such as the right to individual privacy, might appeal to the general public.

The AP Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law is an essential addition to any reference collection.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Update on basically the same old AP stuff, January 15, 2003

By	Tanja Marie Hester (Arlington, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (Paperback)

This book is essentially indispensible for so many of us, and so it's never really a question of how good the latest edition might be. That said, I still think AP is behind on the entire field of technology and the Internet. I always find myself referring to the Wired Style book for usage questions for documents referring to Web sites and strategy. There are also some areas in which AP is not backing down: they insist on sticking with "e-mail," for example, when most of us have gone to "email." They also insist that we keep capitalizing "Web" when it's so common now, that the distinction is arguably not needed.

Overall, the bulk of the book is fine -- exactly what you expect from AP. But the very thin Internet section is in need of a major reexamination so that we can all stop flipping between AP and the Wired book. Considering how much of our information today is online, you would think AP would place a higher priority on staying complete with their online usage rules.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Benefits more than journalists, September 3, 2007

By	M. Fayard (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (Paperback)

The title of this book might lead you to think this is just another grammar book--and one with only print journalists in mind. Not so! If you are looking for a guide that will ensure consistency in all of your corporate literature, I highly recommend this book and its companion "Bible," Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition. Never again will you have to wonder whether to add a hyphen, capitalize a word or use an abbreviation. To me one of the main reasons why documents can look unprofessional is because writers don't apply consistency in style throughout corporate literature or even throughout the same piece. This book is the ultimate foundation for consistency, clarity and professionalism. And from here you can add your own "house styles," guidelines that are unique to your profession or business. The return on investment on this book is tremendous.