Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The original edition of the concise classic, with essential advice for aspiring writers like "omit needless words."

With simple principles and helpful tips on usage and composition, as well as lists of common errors to avoid, The Elements of Style was first published during World War I by Cornell University professor William Strunk Jr. Originally intended for Cornell students, it would become widely renowned as a memorable short guide for those who want to write clear, correct, and effective prose. A staple in countless classrooms and a touchstone for generations, it is still relevant and useful a century later.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Anyone who writes and edits for a living (including librarians, naturally) is no stranger to William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White's classic writing manual, The Elements of Style. This "little book" barely makes the 100-page mark (even with a glossary and an index in the back), but it has influenced generations of writers since it was first released in 1959. The Elements of Style owes its status as much to the authors' sound advice as to the amusing anecdotes throughout. To commemorate its 50th anniversary this spring, Pearson is releasing a black leather-bound, gold-embossed reprint of the fourth edition from 2000 (pictured), which includes a new publisher's note outlining the book's history, along with quotes from celebrities like Dorothy Parker, Dan Rather, and Ben Affleck. An event to celebrate the occasion will be held on April 16th in New York City with a panel of writers and journalists. Cornell University's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (keepers of the papers of E.B. White) will host an exhibit in the Olin Library to coincide with the anniversary. The best-selling book about writing ever published (ten million copies and counting), The Elements of Style, in the now 30-year-old words of E.B. White, still stands "erect, resolute and assured," ready to conquer a new generation of writers synonymous with blogging, texting, facebooking, twittering, and other forms of how-fast-can-you-reach-me communication. And while we appreciate the opportunities those new forms of expression have afforded us, we can all benefit from not dressing up words by adding -ly "as though putting a hot on a horse"; overusing qualifiers like rather, very, and pretty that are like "leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words"; and writing nite for night or pleez for please in daily emails, unless we "plan to introduce a complete system of simplified spelling and are prepared to take the consequences." Libraries of all backgrounds owe it to every aspiring writer out there to invest in this sturdy new edition.-Mirela Roncevic, Reference Editor, LJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

William Strunk Jr. was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on July 1, 1869. He received a bachelor's degree at the University of Cincinnati in 1890 and Ph.D. at Cornell University in 1896. He taught English at Cornell University for forty-six years. He wrote two books: The Elements of Style, which was later published under the title The Elements and Practice of Composition, and English Metres. He was also an editor and edited important works by such authors as William Shakespeare, John Dryden, and James Fenimore Cooper. He served as a literary consultant to the 1936 MGM film version of Romeo and Juliet. He died on September 26, 1946.

(Bowker Author Biography)