Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors (Paperback)

by Merriam-Webster (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If The Chicago Manual of Style is a little too expensive or unwieldy, or your needs are not quite so detail-oriented, this manual makes for a nice alternative. It's not a book about writing; it is a style guide, starting with punctuation, capitals, and abbreviations and culminating in typography, printing, and binding. Sandwiched between are chapters on preparing scientific material for publication, dealing with foreign-language extracts, and creating tables and graphs. Footnotes, bibliographies, indexes, and the editing process also get their due. A much-revised edition of Webster's Standard American Style Manual, this is a great resource for students, writers, and professionals alike. --Jane Steinberg

Product Description
Practical information on writing and editing. Comprehensive coverage of punctuation, capitalization, as well as forming plurals, possessives, and compound words. Covers all aspects of manuscript preparation, including guidance on design and production techniques. Also includes a Grammar Glossary.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Merriam-Webster; Rev Sub edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087779622X
• ISBN-13: 978-0877796220
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #647,310 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reference, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

A wonderfully organized, practical manual of American style and usage. VERY portable and affordable. Contrary to accepted opinion (the opinion of literary snobs and wanna-be writers out there), the CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE is not the be-all and end-all. If you write, edit or proof-read, or are interested in the manuscript-to-published-work process, I think that this volume should be a fixture in your reference collection.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Resource, October 30, 2001

By	joetheproofer (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

In my work as a professional proofreader for an advertising agency, I find myself consulting this manual frequently. It has a good mix of rules and examples. I always find the answer I am looking for. This is the highest praise you can give to any handbook of this type.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fabulous reference for anyone's shelf!, March 5, 2004

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

There is little question that, in general, our writing has gotten lazy and careless. We assume Microsoft Word (or whichever word processor you use) will fashion our typing into something acceptable. This wonderful and excellently done book is for people who want to do better.

I am glad that they point out it is for writers as well as editors. This book will help students and people writing anything more than a casual note to format, punctuate, and organize their writing for better clarity and understanding. Yes, proofreaders and editors have more use for the special markings and some of the more subtle points in the manual, but there is a lot on seemingly little things like capitals, italics, plurals, possessives, compounds, abbreviations, mathematical and scientific notation, quotations, foreign languages, tables, illustrations, footnotes, endnotes, bibliographies, indexes and more.

This book is compactly designed and it is very easy to find what you are looking for. Everything is concisely explained and demonstrated when needed.

This is a fabulous reference for anyone's shelf.