The Elements of Style Paperback – May 24, 2007

I received  The Elements of Style: 50th Anniversary Edition  from a very close friend a few years back, and she was someone who understood my love for this book that goes back to my college days in the 1970s. Someone once asked me how I was able to hold a 3.9 average in college back in the post-Vietnam era when as a veteran I was in school and working full time. My answer then is as it is now: "Strunk and White."But if my friend reads this, I hope that she will accept my apology that I rarely open the cover of this book, yet it's one of my most treasured. It's the accepted 4th edition, and now a collectable in this hardbound version. These days I use a well worn paperback edition,  The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition , which is still accessed at least a few times a week. I just heep this one on a special bookshelf with my most treasured books, and still glance at it when using the paperback.There are plenty of reviews, both pro and con, posted here on both of the above editions, and I am not as erudite as some of the other reviewers, nor am I an authority. As far as these editions go, Time Magazine listed Strunk & White's 'The Elements of Style' as "one of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since 1923" in their August 30, 2011 issue. But my concern is that there are many editions of "The Elements of Style" listed here on Amazon, both in paper and Kindle editions, yet few of them are what the reader may assume are the real ones.For example, this  THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE - The Original Edition (Annotated)  may not be the edition that you're looking for. It's one of a number of versions of the original title "The Elements of Style" written by Cornell University English professor William Strunk, Jr., who wrote it 1918. But this is not the version that is also known as "Strunk & White." The product description is incorrect.There are other Kindle reissues of the 1918 edition, most notably  THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE (UPDATED 2011 EDITION) The All-Time Bestselling Book on Writing English Newly Edited (Special 2011 Edition) The Elements of Style OVER 10 MILLION COPIES SOLD! [Revised ], which notes that it is newly revised and edited by Chris Hong, who is listed in the electronic flyleaf as a former editor at Harvard University, and bears a © 2011 The Elements of Style Press notation. This particular edition does have a slightly better layout on the Kindle, and the table of contents is well hyperlinked, but no mention is made of original author William Strunk, Jr., except for his name on the flyleaf.Among the other Kindle editions are  The Elements of Style (Original Edition) , with the quill on it's cover is basic, and it costs under a dollar. But if you're going for basic, the  The Elements of Style  edition with its generic cover is a no-cost freebie. And there are other Kindle editions if you search.The problem with these 1918 editions is that the writing style is dated. Original author Strunk had died in 1946, and in 1959, the publishers commissioned writer and author E. B. White, well known for his  Charlotte's Web , that classic for children, to revise the 41-year-old text. This was was fitting as Strunk had been one of White's professors at Cornell. White's rework of the book was extremely well received, and further editions of the work followed in 1972, 1979, and 1999. White's expansion and modernization of Strunk's original became informally known as Strunk & White. As to whether it's considered a valid part of a writer's bookshelf, more than ten million copies of the three editions of Strunk & White have been sold.The history of this writing manual can be found in Mark Garvey's  Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White's The Elements of Style , which was published in 2009, an excellent book in its own right.So if you're looking for the real Strunk & White,  The Elements of Style (4th Edition) , by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, is one you want, and it's only available in paper editions, except for the rare  The Elements of Style: 50th Anniversary Edition , which is now a collectable. Otherwise, you may enjoy one of the Kindle editions listed here, but think of them more as an interesting background than as contemporary writing style references.9/11/2012

This book has many of the common mistkes I've collected on my personal editing list, as well as many I'll need to add to it. It's greatly improved my confidence in my ability to edit my own work. I look forward to reading it again.

I need to do more research on some of the topics covered in this text. There are differences between American and British grammar that are not explained here.

Actually, I have mixed feelings. The third-party that sold it through Amazon deserves a high score. They promptly sent it and the price (used) was great. ........................ The book itself: "The Elements of Style" is regarded as The Bible within the writers' critique group I attend. I bought this to give to new members. However, this particular edition is OLD. It has a 1959 copyright date and is the 16th printing. Strunk & White didn’t come out with a newer edition until 1972. I'd like to think the English Language hasn't changed much since 1972. My sense is that the authors have now discovered they can make more money if they can create a new edition every year. AND there's now several different editions coming out at the same time, depending on the author combination. We can find one by Strunk & White, one by Strunk; another by White. Do they not agree or something??? I think the son of one of them is also selling his own version. What worries me is that these experts are rewriting the rules just so they can sell more books. I hate it that the rules I learned in elementary school are no longer the latest “fashion.” As a related note, I find it embarrassing that it's Possible for someone to get a college degree in English. Worse yet, some people have earned multiple PhD degrees in just our one language. Let's compare that to Korean, where by the end of second grade, children have learned everything there is to know about their language and they can then use their time to learn other things--math, science; other languages. Here in America, college graduates still haven't learned English adequately. SO, "The Elements of Style" and its annual updates suggests the whole book is obsolete unless we're always buying the latest model--We can't trust the older versions.

If you paid attention in (and remember) high school English composition, don't pay more than a buck for this. But I should qualify that I'm a senior citizen with two bright kids who went through school in the late 1980s, and (I dare say) they weren't taught nearly as well as I was back in the '60s and early '70s. So take this review with a grain of salt.I'm writing this review for the free Kindle version with tan and dark red cover (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005IT0V8O/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0). This Kindle version has clickable linkage, the Table of Contents is simple and well constructed, and the book is loaded with examples, so it's good to have as a reference for those times when one gets stuck on a cumbersome sentence or an overused word or expression, for suggestions on resolving active/passive voice, and so forth. Beyond that, my best advice for anyone who's already well-versed in grammar and composition is this, from the book's Introductory section:"... once past the essentials, students profit most by individual instructions based on the problems of their own work...".In other words, don't expect this book to work miracles. It won't write your book, essay or user guide for you. But as my heading says, I do recommend "Elements" as a desk tool for getting past any nagging nuances/bad habits one may have as a writer, or for attacking specific issues as they arise.

You're probably thinking this is a really cheap edition of The Elements Of Style. The reason is that it's almost impossible to use as either a textbook of reference. Buy a different edition.Each chapter consists of an instruction for an element of language, followed by two or more examples. The editor has chosen to format both the instructions and the examples in the same font, with the same indentation. You'll soon find it very difficult to read, even more so if you want to use it as a reference book while you write or edit.This edition omits the name of the editor or the publisher, perhaps in shame at the insult they've done to an excellent work. I would return my copy if possible.

This is a concise and helpful book designed to eliminate clumsy and incorrect usage of English.To give a few examples:'Less than ten' is incorrect, whilst 'fewer than ten' is correct.'This man, who is my friend,' is better written 'This man, my friend,''I should like tea' is usually correct, 'I would like tea' is usually not.'Worthwhile' is best avoided altogether - not exactly incorrect but poor style.And so it goes on.I found this book moderately useful, although it does seem to concentrate on American English rather than UK English. Some of the advice doesn't apply on this side of the Atlantic. For example, we tend not to use `most' as an abbreviation of `almost' so we're not going to make the mistake of saying `most everyone' as many Americans do.Some reviewers commented that the kindle version was hard to read, but I didn't have any problems with it. I think it must have been reformatted as a result of some early negative reviews.On the whole this is a great book for anyone who's got into sloppy writing habits (like me). Stephen King recommends it in his book `On Writing' - and recommendations don't get much stronger than that. It's probably fair to summarise the message of the book by saying `express yourself in as few words as possible and be as precise as possible'.

This is a review of Elements of Style, by William Strunk, published by Filquarian press. This publisher specialises in public domain classics. You can find this edition in its entirety on the internet; search on `wiiliam strunk public domain'.The public domain edition was published in 1918, and is half the length of recent editions. It predates recent language, predates political correctness, and arguably predates the shorter modern form of `plain English'.Buyers should be aware that they are not getting the modern Strunk and White edition (especially when Amazon have pooled reviews for modern editions with the 1918 version!).At a mere 60 pages, the 1918 Strunk edition is the most concise English language style guide. This is a major advantage when compared with more recent, more wordy style guides.

This wlim bool, popularly known as 'Strunk and White', is essential for anyone who writes anything, from school to post-grad. The information it contains is excellent and should be learnt by heart--observance of the advice should become automatic. In my 30 years as a technical wroter and editor at IBM, "The Elements of Style' and 'The Chicago Manual of Style' were dessential books in all information developers' toolkit.

This Kindle edition must have been prepared by a piece of utterly useless OCR software - the text is so garbled that the book is impossible to use. Here, for example, is the second sentence of the INTRODUCTORY [sic], which is typical of the whole book: It goals to lighten the task of teacher and student by using concentrating interest (in Chapters II and III) on some necessities, the guidelines of utilization and principles of composition maximum typically violated.William Strunck Jr. The Elements of style . Kindle Edition.