# Recommend me a book on writing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965 "2010-10-13T06:01:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/1 "2010-10-13T06:01:51Z")
English is my second language. Sometimes I feel that my command of the language is rather lacking, especially when it comes to writing. Are there any good books on how to write correctly and cohesively? I remember coming across one which I think is rather good, but its title eludes me. It covers how do you form sentences, and making sure that there is a link between each sentence and paragraph. It also teaches how to use certain words to go from one sentence or paragraph to the next, and some advice on style, tone and keeping to the point. So I guess I am looking for books that cover those key points too. Any recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/2 "2010-10-13T11:41:10Z")
For general writing, try **Elements of Style** by Strunk & White. For grammar, **Eats, Shoots and Leaves** by Lynn Truss. For writing college papers, **The Bedford Handbook** by Diana Hacker, while kind of lengthy, is the final word on every situation, particularly writing endnotes and bibliographies for longer essays. For writing fiction, no better book exists than Stephen King’s \*\* On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/3 "2010-10-13T11:45:39Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > For grammar, **Eats, Shoots and Leaves** by Lynn Truss. Too many errors. Avoid. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/4 "2010-10-13T13:20:40Z")
> [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](#): > > So I guess I am looking for books that cover those key points too. Any recommendations? [Scroll about halfway down this webpage](http://greatsfandf.com/english-language.php) and you’ll find a section called **Some Useful Reference Books.** I can’t claim to be familiar with all of them, but most are classics in the field. I know that many editors and other people ‘in the know’ still recommend Partridge’s [Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English](http://www.amazon.com/Concise-Usage-Abusage-Eric-Partridge/dp/0806529962/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286975702&sr=1-6). Barzan’s [Simple & Direct](http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Direct-Jacques-Barzun/dp/0060937238/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1286975869&sr=1-1) is not as famous, but I personally believe that every aspiring writer should have it. Partridge deals mainly with word choice and usage, while Barzan focuses on style. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/5 "2010-10-13T13:30:05Z")
Seconding **Elements of Style** - it’s a classic for a reason, with excellent advice about style and word choice. And it’s such a slim volume, you should have little trouble getting through it. A company I used to work for had a copy on its intranet, by some magic. That was really, really nice. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/6 "2010-10-13T13:33:13Z")
Here’s another that one of my English comp courses required at university: **On Writing Well** , by William Zinsser. Its title in [Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-25th-Anniversary-Nonfiction/dp/0060006641) seems to indicate that it’s aimed at writing non-fiction, but I think that Zinsser’s advice would really hold for anything, fiction or non. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/7 "2010-10-13T13:57:25Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > For general writing, try **Elements of Style** by Strunk & White. For grammar, **Eats, Shoots and Leaves** by Lynn Truss. For writing college papers, **The Bedford Handbook** by Diana Hacker, while kind of lengthy, is the final word on every situation, particularly writing endnotes and bibliographies for longer essays. For writing fiction, no better book exists than Stephen King’s \*\* On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft\*\*. King’s book is a masterpiece: The first half is a memoir of his life, the seond half a guid on how to write as only he could write it,and the epilogue is King’s memoir of the ghastly accident he managed to survive. The epilogue itself is worth the price of the book. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-a-book-on-writing/556965/8 "2010-10-13T18:30:55Z")
No writer’s desk is complete without a copy of **Elements of Style** , and I agree that King’s **On Writing** is fantastic, both as a writing guide and an autobiography. If you’re interested in fiction, I’d also recommend **Bird by Bird** by Anne Lammott. For general non-fiction, you want to keep a copy of the Chicago Manual of Style at your desk. If you’re trying your hand at journalism, you want an AP Stylebook. No harm will come from owning both.