writer's handbook
book was sent in a timely fashion,
arrived in great condition.
thank you.
good reference material
Easy, no fuss reference guide deconstructing the English language. Great for college students. It was recommended to me by my technical writing professor.
college textbook
The item was received quickly and this was important since it was for a class.
very good
If your trying to buy a book that teaches you how to write this is it. This hand book will teach you all about proper writing.
Too flashy
There is nothing that ruins a good reference book so much as over-attention to graphics. This book is very busy in both its design and implementation. Compared to other writing handbooks (particularly Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference), this book is very hard to use. For example, the ToC for the MLA documentation section is not listed on the tab for MLA, but is buried several pages in. There are nearly 200 pages that start this book that are a mixed and confusing grab-bag of the greatest hits of rhetoric and writing, but do little to engage students in the act of crafting a written artifact. Also, after using this book for a semester, the tabs began to fray. As a teacher of first-year composition, I strongly recommend A Writer's Reference if you are looking for a user-friendly and comprehensive handbook for writing courses. This Harbrace book, which is the "Brief" version at 592 pages, is difficult to use as a teacher and as a student, and some information is nearly impossible to find (e.g. block quotation style guidelines).
(6 reviews)
