Happiness = My library of writing and editing books. When I open one, it’s as if a hush is heard, the door of an ornate chamber opens, and stunning essays of the why’s and therefores of our language whisk me off to an enchanted land.
If you’re beginning to build your library of resource books for your writing and editing projects, below you’ll find the books I use most, and admire.
The links below go to the most recent print versions. Many are available on Kindle. Online versions of style guides (subscription required) are also listed, if available.
Those marked with a red * represent, in my opinion, great starter books (along with any style guides your clients require you to use).
Writing
Style & Usage
Editing: Grammar & Punctuation
Proofreading
Writing (back to top)
Handbook of Technical Writing, Seventh Edition, by Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, Walter E. Oliu; St. Martin’s Press; 2003.
*On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 25th Anniversary Edition, by William Zinsser; Quill; 2001.
One Continuous Mistake—Four Noble Truths for Writers by Gail Sher; Penguin Group; 1999.
Reading Like a Writer—A Guide for People Who Love Books and For Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose; Harper Collins Publishers; 2006.
Technical Writing 101—A Real-World Guide to Planning and Writing Technical Documentation by Alan S. Pringle and Sarah S. O’Keefe; Scriptorium; 2000.
Style & Usage (back to top)
* Garner’s Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner; Oxford University Press; 2003.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Fourth Edition, by Joseph Gibaldi; The Modern Language Association of America; 1995.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition; American Psychological Association; 2001. (APAstyle.org)
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law edited by Norm Goldstein; Basic Books; 2004. (AP online guide; subscription)
The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition; The University of Chicago Press; 2003. (Chicago online guide; subscription)
The Elements of Style, Third Edition, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White; The Macmillan Company; 1979.
The Elephants of Style by Bill Walsh; McGraw Hill; 2004.
Editing: Grammar & Punctuation (back to top)
Advanced Grammar in Use by Martin Hewings; Cambridge University Press; 1999 (includes practice exercises with answers).
Developing Proofreading and Editing Skills, Fourth Edition, by Sue. C. Camp; Glencoe/McGraw-Hill; 2001 (includes practice exercises with answers).
Harbrace College Handbook, 7, by Hodges and Whitten; Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.; 1972
The Associated Press Guide to Punctuation by Rene J. Cappon; Perseus Publishing; 2003.
* The Copyeditor’s Handbook—A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communication, Second Edition, by Amy Einsohn; University of California Press; 2006.
* The Gregg Reference Manual—A Manual of Style, Grammar, Usage, and Formatting, Tenth Edition, by William A. Sabin; McGraw-Hill Irwin; 2005.
The Elements of Editing—A Modern Guide for Editors and Journalists by Arthur Plotnik; Macmillan Publishing Company; 1982.
The Elements of Grammar by Margaret Shertzer; MacMillan Publishing Company; 1986.
* The Subversive Copyeditor—Advice from Chicago by Carol Fisher Saller; The University of Chicago Press; 2009.
Words into Type, Third Edition, Prentice Hall; 1974.
Proofreading (back to top)
Handbook for Proofreading by Laura Killen Anderson; NTC Business Books; 1990.
Powerful Proofreading Skills—Tips, Techniques, and Tactics by Debra A. Smith and Helen R. Sutton; Course Technology; 1994 (includes pre- and post-reader tests).
Rita Braun writes and edits B2B publications for people who research, teach, market, and sell. Take a look at her portfolio here, and contact her here.
