There are thousands of books written about the English language. New ones are published every year, some for the mass-market and some for niche interests. Like anything, knowing which ones suit your needs and tastes can be hit and miss without the right advice.
This reviews section is dedicated to all the latest releases as well as newly reviewed books that pass the which?english editorial desk and added to the books section. The section will feature reviews of not only new books, but old as well because of the fact that many good books have been written long ago and are still available second hand through online means.
REVIEWS
For Who the Bell Tolls (2013)
By David Marsh
"While other books – to borrow from Talking Heads – quickly “Stop Making Sense”, this one walks on stage and makes a whole lot of sense."
The market for books about English usage and grammar in particular has in my mind become polarised in the last decade or so between books that tell you off and those that genuinely give encouragement. Something strange has happened. The prescriptive/descriptive views are now Old School. The new paradigm is punitive and … well, plain old helpful. This new release by David Marsh, production editor at the Guardian newspaper since 1996 and editor of its style guide on language and language blogger, is a quirky book written with a genuine passion that is rarely found in grammar books. To say it simply, this is a joy to read.
Click here to read the full review of For Who the Bell Tolls
REVIEWS
Gwynne's Grammar (2013)
By N.M Gwynne
"Steeped in a rectitudinal style that many will find mellifluous but which others will find stultifying"
Gwynne's Grammar is the current darling of the grammar-book scene. Ebury Press republished it in a new format in April this year and it has shot right to the top of the sales charts, much in the way that Eats, Shoots, & Leaves did a decade earlier. Whether or not this book reaches the 5-million mark a la Eats remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: if you liked Eats, Shoots, & Leaves then this book is for you; if, however, you disliked its verboseness then you may have the same feelings towards this book.
Click here to read the full review of Gwynne's Grammar.
HBR Guide to: Better Business Writing (2013)
By Bryan A. Garner
"A valuable weapon in any business writer’s arsenal"
American Bryan A. Garner is a noted lawyer and businessman on the one hand, and a grammarian and lexicographer on the other. His published works include Garner’s Modern American Usage, a book that I personally rate as among the top-five books currently available on English usage, Black’s Law Dictionary and The Elements on Legal Style. He is also a contributor to the esteemed Chicago Manual of Style. He has also trained 150,000 lawyers in the art of written persuasion and effective contract drafting for dozens of Fortune 500 companies.
Garner’s latest book, The Harvard Business Review (HBR) Guide to Better Business Writing, makes the leap from writing for the legal sphere to meeting the needs of the modern business writer. So, what does this new book offer?
Click here to read the full review of HBR Guide to Better Business Writing.
The Joy of English (2012)
By Jesse Karjalainen
"I picked up this book and was hooked from the first page. The book is thoroughly insightful, educational, informative, and fun."
"Karjalainen should be commended for infusing it with an infectious sense of joy that leaves the reader wanting to strive towards the improvement of his or her own use of the English language."
"... a must-have reference book for anyone trying to write (or, indeed, speak) good English ..."
"... should be commended for infusing it with an infectious sense of joy that leaves the reader wanting to strive towards the improvement of his or her own use of the English language."
"A punctilious desk ally."
"I recommend The Joy of English to anyone who wants to improve their writing or who is just interested in language."
Click here to download the free sample chapters and reviews.
The English Language in Canada – Status, History and Comparative Analysis
By Charles Boberg
Cambridge University Press 2010. ISBN 9780521874328 hardback. GBP65.00 USD110.00
One English, two grammars? Differences between British and American English
2009 Cambridge University Press, by Gunter Rohdenburg and Julia Schluter. Read the extensive review.
To contact me about where to send me review copies, write to the address below.
THE BEST BOOKS ON ENGLISH: STYLE GUIDES
Fowler's Modern English Usage (re-revised edition)
The Guardian Stylebook (2007)
The Economist style guide
The Oxford style manual
The Times Style and Usage Guide
Science and Technical Writing: A Manual of Style
The
Cambridge Guide to English Usage
The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage
See all The best books on English: style guides.
THE BEST BOOKS ON ENGLISH: GRAMMAR POPULAR
The Joy of English
The Elements of Style
Fowler's Modern English Usage (re-revised)
(Re-Revised 3rd Edition)
The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style (US)
Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage
The Cambridge Guide to English Usage
Usage and abusage
THE BEST BOOKS ON ENGLISH: USAGE GUIDES
The Elements of Style
Fowler's Modern English Usage (re-revised)
(Re-Revised 3rd Edition)
The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style (US)
Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage
The Joy of English
The Cambridge Guide to English Usage
Usage and abusage
See all The best books on English: usage guides.
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE HISTORY: POPULAR
The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language
Mother Tongue: The English Language
Dr.Johnson's Dictionary: The Extraordinary Story of the Book That Defined the World
The Language Wars: a History of Proper English
See all The best books on English-language history: popular.
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE HISTORY: REFERENCE
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
A History of the English Language
A history of English (Barbara Strang)
The American Language: An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States (HL Mencken)
The English Language in Canada
One Language Two Grammars
See all The best books on English-language history: reference.
THE BEST ENGLISH DICTIONARIES
See all The best English dictionaries.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE: POPULAR COMMENT
Troublesome Words
The Fight for English: How Language Pundits Ate, Shot, and Left
Lost for Words: The Mangling and Manipulating of the English Language
Eats, Shoots and Leaves
Beyond Words: How Language Reveals the Way We Live Now
See all The best books on English language: popular comment.
THE BEST BOOKS ON ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation
Practical English Usage (3rd Edition)
See all The best books on English grammar.
ENGLISH COPYEDITING, SUB EDITING, PROOFING
Butcher's Copy-editing: The Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders
See all The best books on English copyediting, proofing and editing.
BOOKS ON BUSINESS AND COMMUNICATIONS
Revising Business Prose
Public Relations Writing: Form and Style
Read This!: Business Writing that Works
Model Business Letters, E-Mails and Other Business Documents
Business Grammar & Style Usage: The Desk Reference for Articulate & Polished Business Writing, Speaking & Correspondence
See all The best English books on business and communications.
THE BEST BOOKS ON PUNCTUATION
The Penguin Guide to Punctuation
The Joy of English
Eats, Shoots and Leaves
Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation
See all The best books on punctuation.
THE BEST BOOKS ON JOURNALISM
The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect
Essential English (Harold Evans)
Tell me no lies: investigative journalism and its triumphs (John Pilger)
Flat-earth news
(Nick Davies)
See all The best books on journalism.
THE BEST BOOKS ON PLAIN ENGLISH
Oxford Guide to Plain English
The Penguin Guide to Plain English
The Plain English Approach to Business Writing
See all The best books on Plain English.
THE BEST BOOKS ON ENGLISH FROM THE US
The Elements of Style
The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style
The Elephants of Style: Gray Areas of Contemporary American English
Guide to Punctuation and Style
The Chicago Manual of Style
See all books on The best books on English from the US.
THE BEST BOOKS ON AMERICAN ENGLISH
The American Language (HL Mencken)
Speaking American (Richard W Bailey)
