The Elements of Style
The Elements of Style ("the little book" – 1918) is an American English writing style guide; focusing on seven elementary rules of usage, ten elementary principles of composition of unparalleled terseness, with a few matters of form and commonly misused expressions.Originally written and privately published by Cornell University professor William Strunk Jr, it appeared on E. B. White's desk at The New Yorker one day in 1957. White had studied under Strunk in 1919, but he had forgotten this "forty-three-page summation of the case for cleanliness, accuracy, and brevity in the use of English." He published in The New Yorker a brief piece that paid tribute to Professor Strunk's devotion to lucid English prose. Macmillan and Company in 1957 commissioned White to prepare a new edition of the book, republished in 1959. Though Strunk had died, White independently built on his foundation to create a rare reference book that is also a literary classic, "Strunk & White."
Strunk's original version concentrated on specific questions of usage, cultivating good writing and avoiding prolixities: "Make every word tell." White updated and extended these sections and added an introductory essay and the conclusion, An Approach to Style, a broader guide to writing in English. The standard reference for American students and writers, updated editions of The Elements of Style followed in 1972, 1979, and 1999.
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Quotes
Further reference
External links