On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

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HarperPerennial, 1994 - Language Arts & Disciplines - 300 pages
A revised and updated edition of one of the most successful guides to writing ever published (one million copies sold).

A Classic in its Field, On Writing Well is the Indispensable reference tool for anyone who writes, wants to learn to write, or needs to do some writing to get through the day -- as almost everybody does. Illustrated with examples of superb writing, the book covers a variety of subject areas, from travel, memoir, and science writing to business, sports, humor, and the arts. This expanded and updated edition features revised chapters, fresh examples of good writing, and two completely new chapters. One new chapter, "Enjoyment, Fear, and Confidence", urges writers to live interesting lives and to trust their general intelligence. The other, "The Tyranny of the Final Product", counsels writers not to try to visualize the complete article, but to focus on earlier decisions of selection, construction, and voice that will eventually let them know what their piece is about. Written by a master writer, editor, and teacher, On Writing Well is the writing book people swear by and love to recommend.

"On Writing Well belongs on any shelf of serious reference works for writers -- along with, say, Fowler's Modern English Usage and Strunk and White's The Elements of Style". -- New York Times

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About the author (1994)

William Knowlton Zinsser (October 7, 1922 - May 12, 2015) was an American writer, editor, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career as a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune, where he worked as a feature writer, drama editor, film critic and editorial writer. Throughout the 1970s, Zinsser taught writing at Yale University. He wrote 18 books, including On Writing Well, which is in its 17th edition. Zinsser died at the age of 92 in Manhattan on May 12, 2015.

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