The Elements of Style Illustrated

If you're serious about writing, this book will be on your shelf and ear-marked.

Just buy it.

Personally, this is my favorite volume. The new sizing and texture appeals to me. And the pictures are pretty too. ;)

Wolfe

This is a nice show and tell book that shows common writing mistakes and then shows you how to fix them. Easy to read, wish i had a way of finding want i wanted in the book, but since i don't know grammar well enough to know the kind of problem i have i just scan the book hoping to see an example.

The Elements of Style is, hands down, my favorite book of English usage. It is as pure and simple and perfect as a reference book can be. That is, simple, not simple-minded.

This much lauded illustrated edition, with it's simple-minded illustrations, is yet another sad example of the dumbing down of western culture. In Will Strunk's time this sort of treatment, if it existed at all, would have been intended for children below the age of six or seven. It's current target reader is apparently the developmentally challenged adult. While we all sympathize with those struggling with learning disabilities, it is pathetic that such a degradation of a classic work is received with respect. My four year old grandson finds the illustrations to be as he says, "pretty stupid". Of course, he is a child of normal intelligence, and is thus at a critical disadvantage in a world designed for the lowest common denominator.

The book itself will help you sound like a person who knows something. This is a good thing! It's the single best reference for writing correctly and communicating so people will understand you. If you send emails, text messages, keep a blog, or your own website, then you are writing all the time and doing it right will only create a good impression. The art by one of my favorites, Maira Kalman, is a wonderful addition. Keeps you turning the pages and gives a bright image just when you want one.

First off, I want to say that the cover portrayed currently, a blue cover, isn't what I got when I ordered it. I got a cloth red cover like the picture added by a customer. The cloth red cover is a bit rough to the touch and isn't the best, but as soon as you open it and see the gorgeous, glossy, full color illustrations paired with the text we know and love from previous editions, you will be thrilled to have this book.

I opened my parcel in front of a guest and she immediately wanted to feel it and read it. The illustrations add a lot of charm.

If you have read this book before and want a copy to keep, or are giving this book as a gift to a writer or reader, this would be the edition I'd choose. It is well worth the extra money and is a wonderful edtion to any library.

The old Strunk and White I read because I felt I should, this edition I read because it is a pleasure.