Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text With Exercises Review

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(More customer reviews)Bryan A. Garner is leading what might be a Quixotic charge to make lawyers write clear, clean, unambiguous and even interesting prose. This book is a recent addition to the Garner arsenal, which includes the excellent The Winning Brief and A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage. The anonymous writer from New York who slams Garner is wrong. He claims that traditional legal drafting has stood the test of time and is readily understood by judges, who ultimately have to interpret it. If the writing were clear to begin with, the parties wouldn't get to a judge. They'd likely settle. And that writer ignores the fact that there are thousands, perhaps millions, of legal decisions over contract disputes, almost all arising from documents that were "traditionally drafted." And different judges can decide differently about the meaning of a clause. That writer askes rhetorically whether Garner would insist that mathematicians use prose to make their work clear to laypeople. The rhetoric ignores the fact that mathematics is its own language. Legal writing is written in English, the same English used to buy groceries, talk lovingly to your spouse, and complain to the doctor about what ails you. There is no valid reason a contract should be beyond the comprehension of a layperson, other than lawyers' need to feel like they're elevated professionals with a grip on arcana. And the writer's praise of "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary" as an incantatory phrase in contracts overlooks an obvious improvement: "DESPITE anything in this agreement to the contrary . . . ." Garner is a brilliant, insightful teacher who cares deeply about the language and its highest and best use. We know what happens with legalese: litigation and contention and noncomprehension. Give plain English a try, with Garner as your guide to Aquinas's trinity of wholeness, harmony, radiance, and of course clarity clarity clarity.

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Admirably clear, concise, down-to-earth, and powerful-unfortunately, these adjectives rarely describe legal writing, whether in the form of briefs, opinions, contracts, or statutes. In Legal Writing in Plain English, Bryan A. Garner provides lawyers, judges, paralegals, law students, and legal scholars sound advice and practical tools for improving their written work. The book encourages legal writers to challenge conventions and offers valuable insights into the writing process: how to organize ideas, create and refine prose, and improve editing skills. In essence, it teaches straight thinking—a skill inseparable from good writing.Replete with common sense and wit, the book draws on real-life writing samples that Garner has gathered through more than a decade of teaching in the field. Trenchant advice covers all types of legal materials, from analytical and persuasive writing to legal drafting. Meanwhile, Garner explores important aspects of document design. Basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises in each section reinforce the book's principles. (An answer key to basic exercises is included in the book; answers to intermediate and advanced exercises are provided in a separate Instructor's Manual, free of charge to instructors.) Appendixes include a comprehensive punctuation guide with advice and examples, and four model documents.Today more than ever before, legal professionals cannot afford to ignore the trend toward clear language shorn of jargon. Clients demand it, and courts reward it. Despite the age-old tradition of poor writing in law, Legal Writing in Plain English shows how legal writers can unshackle themselves.Legal Writing in Plain English includes:*Tips on generating thoughts, organizing them, and creating outlines.*Sound advice on expressing your ideas clearly and powerfully.*Dozens of real-life writing examples to illustrate writing problems and solutions.*Exercises to reinforce principles of good writing (also available on the Internet).*Helpful guidance on page layout.*A punctuation guide that shows the correct uses of every punctuation mark.*Model legal documents that demonstrate the power of plain English.

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Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Review

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(More customer reviews)Readers, check your reaction to the following sentence:
Lynne Truss, an English grammarian is bloody fed up with sloppy punctuation.
Does that sentence leave you feeling confused, irritated, or angry? Do you feel you have to second-guess the author of the sentence, forced to ascertain whether s/he was writing to Lynne Truss or about Ms. Truss?
But that sort of thing is almost the norm these days, on both sides of the Atlantic. Of course, we Americans have been struggling for years with FRESH DONUT'S DAILY and Your Server: "MILLY" -- not to mention the archy-and-mehitabel school of e-mail that neither capitalizes nor punctuates and reading through this kind of sentence really gets confusing i think it does at least do you too?
Turns out that even the British--including the elite "Oxbridge" inteligentsia--are wildly ignorant of punctuation's rules and standards. Lynne Truss, an English grammarian and author of EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES, is bloody fed up with it! So she wrote this handy little book that is ever-so-correct but not condescending, sometimes savage but not silly, full of mission and totally without mush.
Think of Truss as punctuation's own Miss Manners, a combination of leather and lace, with maybe a bit more emphasis on the leather. (She advocates forming possees to paint out incorrect apostrophes in movie placards.) But her examples of bad punctuation serve a purpose: bad punctuation distorts meaning. EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES includes numerous hilarious backfires of punctuation -- statements and missives that use the exact same words but convey totally opposite messages due to inappropriate punctuation.
Do commas go where they go for breathing, as the do-it-naturally school of non-grammar so many of us were exposed to would have it? Or were they for Medieval chanting or, more analytically, for grammar? Truss explains that it's a mish-mosh of all three, and proceeds to make useful sense of it all. Along the way she confesses she would have gladly borne the children of the 15th-Century Italian typographer who invented Italics and the forward-slash.
With its blend of high dudgeon and helpfulness, Truss steers the reader through the shoals of possession and apostrophes, quotations (British use is a bit differerent from North American, but only a bit, and she notes the difference), the useful if forlorn semicolon, the mighty colon, the bold and (mea culpa) overused dash and other interrupters like parenthesees and commas.
It's important to note that Truss, while something of a true believer, is a believer who lives in the 21st Century. She does not advocate turning back the clock to the 1906 version of Fowler's MODERN ENGLISH USAGE; she is not a snob; she does not overwhelm us with technical terms of grammar and punctuation for their own sake. Just good, common-sense English prescriptive lessons in grammar. People who know they don't know their stuff will learn the right stuff there. People who felt that "the rules" have somehow become archaic in the last thirty years will be happy to see that there are still rules, and while they have become more fluid and pragmatic, they haven't changed inordinately. "It's" still means "It is" and "Its" is still a possessive: "It's a wise publisher that knows its public," say.
Best of all, the teaching is conveyed with wit, bite, and in a snappy tome easy to carry and inexpensive. I'm a former English teacher and I couldn't help but learn and laugh. Highly recommended.
Oh, John Updike? He uses comma faults all that time, that's a sentence like this that splices main clauses together with a comma, maybe using semicolons or starting a new sentence would be better. For us mere mortals, though, standard punctuation fits the norm: once we become world-famous, then we can punctuate at will.

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The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been an English professor for fifteen years, and my advice is that people interested in improving their grammar find a better book than this one. It is full of errors. I care very much about getting students to write and speak properly (for many it's a key to success), and that's why I am so disappointed in this book. (By the way, I have not written any book that competes with this one for your dollars.) Better material is available free of charge on the internet.
I will list some errors below, all found in the very first section of the book, and you will note that in all the canned testimonials that appear on this site, not one of my statements will be refuted. Instead, you will hear about how this book "answered all of my questions" or "helped me land my dream job" or "turned my company around," etc. Nonsense.
ERROR 1: On page 2 we are told, "A subject will come before a phrase beginning with 'of'." This is simply not a rule; subjects often follow "of". Consider this sentence: "Hoping to win the respect of her employer, Sandra learned to speak fluent English." The subject, Sandra, comes after a phrase beginning with "of" ("of her employer"), not before one. Someone who followed the rule in the book might falsely conclude that "respect" is the subject, as it comes before "of".
ERROR 2: There are grammar and punctuation errors in the writing itself. On page 1 we read, "Being able to identify the subject and verb correctly will also help you with commas and semicolons as you will see later." It is certainly odd that a sentence about proper punctuation should itself include a punctuation error; a mandatory comma has been omitted between "semicolons" and "as."
ERROR 3: On page 2 we are told, most unhelpfully, "To find the subject and verb, always find the verb first." (This is like a recipe that says, "To bake a cake and make frosting for it, first bake the cake," and leaves its instructions on cake-baking at that.) Once you find the verb, the book continues, "Then ask who or what performed the verb." This sloppy wording is almost bound to cause confusion. Consider this sentence: "In spite of the bad instructions, the error was found by the student." The verb is "was found," and the student did the finding. It would be natural to suppose, then, that the student "performed the verb" and thus is the subject. The subject, however, is "the error," not "the student".
All of these problems (and others I have not mentioned) are found on the first two pages of the book.
Please note that no one promoting this book will defend the idea that subjects must precede phrases beginning with "of," or that finding "who performed the verb" gives students enough to go on to determine the subject, or that the author makes no punctuation errors of her own in the book. They as good as admit that some of the rules in the book are wrong, that the explanations are inadequate, and that the author makes punctuation errors. So one wonders what might motivate these people to endorse the book. As for my motive, it is this: concern for students who will be (and have been) misled by this faulty product.
The previous edition used crucial terms that it did not bother to define--like "direct object," "object of the preposition," and even "preposition" itself.
Imagine a grammar book that leaves students in the dark about the meaning of the word "preposition," and you have some idea of what this book is like.
As for crucial grammatical elements like transitive verbs, the subjunctive, linking verbs, helping verbs--they were not even mentioned. Will anyone step forward and say, "In this edition, 'preposition' is defined and transitive verbs are discussed"? Of course not.
This book omits even very basic material, and, what is worse, much of what it does say is misleadingly phrased or just plain wrong. You can do better.

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The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation is filled with easy-to-understand rules,real-world examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre- and post-tests.
This handy workbook is ideal for teachers, students in middle school through college, ESL students, homeschoolers, and professionals. Valuable for anyone who takes tests or writes reports, letters, Web pages, e-mails, or blogs, The Blue Book offers instant answers to everyday English usage questions.

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Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Restaurant Reviews, Articles, Memoir, Fiction and More Review

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(More customer reviews)What is food writing? Before I read Jacob's book, I thought I might learn a few techniques for writing restaurant reviews. Wow -- I was wrong! This is a huge, magnificent field, of which I've merely sampled my first appetizer.
The author's research in compiling this book is extensive. In presenting her ideas, she doesn't limit readers to her own personal experience; she interviewed hundreds of successful food writers and asked them how they got started, what a typical day is like, and what advice they have to give.
Despite her years of industry experience, Jacob truly understands the heart of a beginner, and her voice is as far from snooty-hooty as one can be. Readers will feel encouraged and energized after reading chapters on the secrets of restaurant reviewing, cookbook compiling, recipe writing (yes, it is an art form!), memoir and nonfiction food writing, and food in fiction.
Jacob's passion is so contagious, her words dance across the page. She seems especially interested in the trend of narrative food writing, and she gives you tips on how to make your writing full of jolt and flavor. What are the three laziest adjectives used to describe food? She says "nice," "wonderful," and "delicious." She writes, "They are so vague that readers don't know what you mean other than something positive." Instead, she offers an extensive list of adjectives in chapter 5 that make it well worth the price of the book.
I'm only a simple home cook. My creativity usually involves whipping up kid-friendly favorites without having to dash off to the grocery store for exotic ingredients. Although I've written a few of my own recipes, I certainly didn't realize what an exciting art form food writing can be.
While reading this book, we ate out at a new restaurant, and I imagined myself as one of those fancy New York Times reviewers in disguise (didn't know they may actually wear wigs!). I had our waiter answering a myriad of questions, and even dashing back to speak with the chef. I brought home a menu and scribbled all over it my impressions.
I'm intrigued as to how to better describe tastes and food. And I never considered children's books to be a place where good food writing can exist. After reading WILL WRITE FOR FOOD, I am much more aware. I appreciate the recommendation from Writer's Digest and will certainly add this to my bookshelf of favorites.
I love the way she describes what it takes to make a great reviewer: [They] have passion, knowledge, authority, a great writing style, and stamina...They give the reader a feel for the place, its rhythm, and overall vibe. And they keep up their energy level and enthusiasm. Passion is paramount."
She quotes experienced food critic Alan Richman who says he can't wait to see what a restaurant has in store for him. He shares, "I get a hop in my step."
A well done book, indeed.
--Reviewed by Heather Lynn Ivester

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Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (Quick & Dirty Tips) Review

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(More customer reviews)I didn't have expectations about this book from the podcast because I only discovered Grammar Girl a few days before the book was released. I like books about usage, and I enjoyed this one. It's organized in chapters of related usage problems and the rules for the most frequent cases. For many issues, the book gives not only the right way to do it, but demonstrates common wrong ways too, and clearly labels them so you won't pick up the wrong way if you're skimming. Many of the entries include memory devices to help you remember what to do next time.
The drawings and examples were cute, but sometimes the references to Squiggly and Aardvark felt like inside jokes, but fortunately not to the point where I felt like the joke was on me. I didn't know if there were personalities for the characters that would have given me a deeper understanding of the examples they demonstrated, or if they were just generic illustrations.
The voice is consistent, and the delivery is short and sweet, or as the author puts it, quick and dirty. Nothing is belabored that shouldn't be, but each issue is adequately covered for most situations. If an item is controversial, the book mentions the controversy and gives an overview of the major arguments. Matters of style are also identified, even if the author has a strong preference for a particular way.
The last chapter, "Work It," is an unusual chapter for a usage book, and especially valuable. It gives writer-oriented tips for interviewing people, generating ideas, fighting writer's block, and proofreading. Some of the tips it gives are excellent, and in the right situation, may make the difference between success and failure. I would love to see that chapter expanded into a book of its own.


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Online sensation Grammar Girl makes grammar fun and easy in this New York Times bestsellerAre you stumped by split infinitives? Terrified of using "who" when a "whom" is called for? Do you avoid the words "affect" and "effect" altogether?Grammar Girl is here to help! Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, is determined to wipe out bad grammar—but she's also determined to make the process as painless as possible. A couple of years ago, she created a weekly podcast to tackle some of the most common mistakes people make while communicating. The podcasts have now been downloaded more thantwenty million times, and Mignon has dispensed grammar tips on Oprah and appeared on the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.Written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. From "between vs. among" and "although vs. while" to comma splices and misplaced modifiers, Mignon offers memory tricks and clear explanations that will help readers recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules. Chock-full of tips on style, business writing, and effective e-mailing, Grammar Girl's print debut deserves a spot on every communicator's desk.

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Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace Review

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(More customer reviews)This book fulfills a long needed addition to Mills' 1997 effort Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian. Genealogy, as a discipline, has practioners that range from the casual gedcom collector to professional and academic researchers. For the last several decades, there has been a strong movement toward standards in genealogical research, in an effort to gain credibility on par with historians and other social sciences. At 816 pages (884 total pages), reading it from cover to cover is a bit like reading a dictionary, which few of us rarely do.
Judging from the buzz on various mailing lists before the book was released, you might expect that Mills was providing merely a reference manual or citation style manual for genealogists. However, the title, Evidence Explained, hints at more. Throughout the text, Mills uses the term "historian" over the use of the term, "genealogist." This shift in terminology is perhaps in keeping with the direction that the discipline is moving. Additionally, Mills devoted the first chapter to the subject of evaluating sources and evidence contained within them, a subject that still causes confusion for many experienced family historians (i.e., genealogists).
For those of us who would rather read a novel than a style manual, I recommend reading the first two chapters in their entireity. Both chapters cover general concepts that are prominent in genealogical research and citation writing. The remaining twelve chapters deal with the various types of historical records or artifacts encountered while researching family history. Starting with Chapter 3, Mills provides the historian with a section, entitled "QuickCheck Models." These models provide a simple, "view-at-a-glance" template for the various types of records referenced by that chapter. The "QuickCheck" models are easy to locate, appearing on pages with a greyed background to help them standout while looking at the the edge of the book.
To aid navigation, each chapter's title page contains a table of contents to the QuickCheck Models. However, supplying a TOC for these brief sections seem unnecessary. The models, themselves, appear one to a page with the desciption (or title) of the model at the top of the page. Rather, the user of the style manual would have been better served if a TOC had been created for the main text of each chapter, which is much more detailed and offers information not provided by the models.
Paragraphs within each chapter are identified by a two level numbering system (chapter, paragraph). Mills mentioned that she modeled her manual after the Chicago Style Manual (CSM), which also uses this numbering schema for navigation purposes. Like CSM, Evidence Explained opens each paragraph with a run-in subhead identifying the subject matter of the paragraph. However, nowhere is there a reference or cross-index to the paragraph numbers, themselves, making them somewhat superfluous.
Each chapter contains a section called, "Guidelines and Examples." This is the major text explaining issues related to each category of sources. Don't forego reading this part of the text in favor of just using the models. Here, I recommend that the researcher employ the JIT approach to reading. JIT (meaning "just in time") is a term borrowed from manufacturing whereby parts to make a product are ordered and shipped to the factory "just in time" to assemble the product, saving time and the expense of warehousing a large inventory of parts. When searching for the most appropriate style template to use--and once you have identified the source type--,read the sub-section labeled "Basic Issues" within the "Guidelines and Examples" section. Then, proceed to the paragraph that describes the specific type of source. (This is where a chapter TOC would have helped.) Reading the "Basic Issues" section will help the researcher see how concepts in citations relate to that specific source.
Another feature that Mills employed in the text was the use of icons to indicate explanations of citations related to microfilm, computer databases, etc. Mills did not explain this feature in her preface, perhaps thinking that no explanation was necessary. For an example of how these icons are used, refer to page 347. As a matter of fact, the lack of an introduction and orientation to the book seems to be its greatest weakness. Any reference manual--and this book certainly fits that description--should offer the reader an orientation to the conventions used within.
Finally, Mills provided two indexes to the manual. The first is the general index. It offers the best way to apply the JIT principle, sometimes directing you to multiple examples on separate pages. In absence of a chapter table of contents, the index is your only resource for navigating the book. The second index is to the QuickCheck Models only. It is redundant of the general index, which also includes references to the QuickCheck Models. When searching the index(es), be certain that you know which index you are purusing. The two indexes do not have separate page headers.
Despite the above-mentioned weaknesses, it is a monumental and welcomed improvement over earlier works and, no doubt, will help us all become better writers of our family research. I can still highly recommend it.


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Evidence Explained is the definitive guide to the citation and analysis of historical sources.It begins with a simple question: Why do we invest so much of our energy into the citation of sources?Followed by the intriguing answer:Because all sources are not created equal.As a citation guide, Evidence Explained is built on this simple question and answer.According to the author, there are no historical resources we can trust at face value. Records simply offer evidence, and their assertions may or may not be true. To decide what actually happened, we must understand those records. To analyze that evidence and judge what to believe, we also need particular facts about those records.Thus, Evidence Explained has two principal uses: it provides citation models for most historical sources especially original materials not covered by classic citation guides such as The Chicago Manual of Style. Beyond that it can help us understand each type of record and identify each in such detail that we and our readers will know not only where to go to find our source, but, equally important, the nature of that source so that the evidence can be better interpreted and the accuracy of our conclusions properly appraised.Highlights Covers all contemporary and electronic sources not discussed in traditional style manuals, including digital, audio, and video sources Explains citation principals and includes more than 1,000 citation models for virtually every source type Shows readers where to go to find their sources and how to describe them and evaluate them Teaches readers to separate facts from assertions and theory from proof in the evaluation of evidence.Most importantly, Evidence Explained discusses source citations for every known class of records, including microfilm and microfiche, and records created by the new digital media:WebsitesBlogs Digital books and journalsDVDsCDsAudio filesPodcastsEveryone Needs This Book-Carry it around and consult it for the correct citation of any source you come across-Keep it constantly at your side to help you identify sources-Use it to evaluate digital and Internet sources-Make it your standard for citing sources and evaluating evidence in your day-to-day research

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DeWALT HVAC Estimating Professional Reference (Dewalt Trade Reference Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I like Dewalt Estimating series because they are very practical information. This HVAC book is no exception. Stuff we all do every day: marketing yourself to GC, get on the bidder list, read blueprints, quantity take-off, vendor pricing, write quote letters, contract negotiation, job costing... You name it. But the book is good because it presents all this information upfront, without big talks. Convenient size makes it easy to carry and look up info. Give it 5 out of 5, 10 out of 10.

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Mechanical estimators, building contractors, and technical trade contractors alike will benefit from the straightforward, must-know HVAC estimating information that this book provides. The DEWALT HVAC Estimating Professional Reference guides readers through each step of the HVAC bidding process, beginning with identifying potential business opportunities, and progressing to estimating, conducting cost analysis, reviewing contracts, and finally, to closing the deal. On-site worksheets, "Getting the Job" tips, and math shortcuts offer additional tools, making this a concise yet comprehensive resource for anyone preparing to bid for an HVAC job.

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They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions Review

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(More customer reviews)It may well be true, as Roy Howard never said (p. 51) that "too much fact checking has ruined many a good news story." But the many misquotations listed here, some very well known, often have fascinating stories in themselves. In a day when, thanks to the Internet, misquotations, urban legends, and dubious "facts" fly faster and farther than ever, this book is a very valuable resource to have around.
My major complaint with this book is that I wish it had been much longer -- for example, there are numerous quotes attributed to Winston Churchill (like the one about being a liberal when you're 25) that could stand to be debunked alongside the two included in this volume.
Still, though, it's very helpful to be able to demonstrate to folks that Lenin never said anything about "useful idiots" (p. 76), that Lincoln never made the long statement beginning, "You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift..." (p. 82), or that Voltaire never "defend[ed] to the death your right to say it" (p. 124). For those reasons alone, I would recommend this book be kept and studied by anyone who cares about truth, accuracy, and stomping urban legends to the death they deserve.

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Abraham Lincoln never said, "You cannot fool all the people all the time." Thomas Jefferson never said, "That government is best which governs least." And Horace Greeley never said, "Go west, young man." In They Never Said It, Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George examine hundreds of misquotations, incorrect attributions, and blatant fabrications, outlining the origins of the quotes and revealing why we should consign them to the historical trashcan. Many of the misquotes are quite harmless. Some are inadvertent misquotes that have become popular (Shakespeare actually said, "The best part of valor is discretion"), others, the inventions of reporters embellishing a story (Franklin Roosevelt never opened a speech to a DAR group with the salutation, "My fellow immigrants"). But some of the quotes, such as Charles Darwin's supposed deathbed recantation of evolution, falsify the historical record with their blatant dishonesty.And other chillingly vicious ones, filled with virulent racial and religious prejudices, completely distort the views of the person supposedly quoted and spread distrust and hatred among the gullible.These include the forged remarks attributed to Benjamin Franklin that Jews should be excluded from America and the fabricated condemnation of Catholics attributed to Lincoln. An entertaining and thought-provoking book, They Never Said It covers a great deal of history and sets it right.Going beyond a mere catalog of popular misconceptions, Boller and George reveal how rightists and leftists, and atheists and evangelists all have at times twisted and even invented the words of eminent figures to promote their own ends. The ultimate debunking reference, it perfectly complements handbooks of quotations.

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Art and Design in Photoshop: How to simulate just about anything from great works of art to urban graffiti Review

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(More customer reviews)There are plenty of beginner guides to Photoshop, and even a few dozen decent intermediate books. But, sooner or later, you reach a point when you're asking yourself, "What's next?" This book provides the answer. It's filled with techniques and ideas that will have anyone who's mastered the basics of Photoshop creating works of art. If you want to go beyond the simple tools of correction, compositing, and image repair, start here.

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1001 Smartest Things Ever Said Review

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(More customer reviews)This book contains some of the funniest things I've ever read. It's so good to read because it makes me laugh at some of the things people say. If you want to be entertained and made laugh this book is perfect. It's a real treasure of funny sayings. I laughed so much I could not see the words.

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I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like: A Comprehensive Compilation of History's Greatest Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes Review

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(More customer reviews)I never met a Mardy Grothe book I didn't like. And "I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like" is certainly no exception. In his Introduction, the author describes himself as "a serious quotation collector," and in this newest of his four books, containing nearly 2,000 analogies, metaphors and similes, he provides indisputable evidence of that fact. He has indeed delivered what he promises in the book's subtitle: "A Comprehensive Compilation of History's Greatest Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes."
However, "I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like" is far more than simply a collection of quotations. In his own highly readable, entertaining and informative style, the author tells often fascinating stories behind many of the entries.
I can't imagine any word lover not wanting this delightful volume in his or her library. But be advised! This is not a book to be devoured in one, two or even in a dozen readings. In what he calls his attempt "to compile some of history's greatest word paintings," Mardy Grothe has succeeded beautifully. To fully admire and appreciate these "paintings" will take time, but it will indeed be time very well spent.

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The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl (TM) (Quick & Dirty Tips) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Successful Writing from Grammar Girl (TM) by Mignon Fogarty, the Grammar Girl herself, is a must-have for anyone who loves grammar, diction, and the simple, proper use of words. Organized like a religious devotional, the book provides readers with a grammar or writing rule, factoid, or puzzle (word scramble, crossword, etc.) for each day of the year. The tips are quick, humorous, and informative. Because the book is organized in numbered weeks (e.g., Week 1, Sunday), you can start reading it anytime without having to wait for a particular month or the first of the year.
This devotional is best suited for those who already love grammar and who crave a daily dose of Grammar Girl's wit and wisdom. I wouldn't recommend it to those looking for a style manual or a book on writing technique, because it's not organized in that way. If you're looking for that, I would recommend Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.
This little book is so much fun that my spouse and I look forward to reading the tip to each other every day, and I plan to gift a copy to my English professor parents for Christmas!

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Millions of fans around the globe punctuate properly and communicate clearly thanks to Mignon Fogarty's practical and easy-to-remember advice about writing style and word usage.Her first book, Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, hit the New York Times bestseller list, and her weekly grammar podcast has been downloaded more than 20 million times and hailed by USA Today as "authoritative but warm." Now, in tip-of-the-day form, Grammar Girlserves up365 lessons on language that are sure to inspire. Filled with new, bite-size writing tips, fun quizzes and puzzles, and efficient memory tricks, The Grammar Devotional gives you a daily dose of knowledge to improve your writing and also serves as a lasting reference you'll use for years to come.

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The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When Review

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(More customer reviews)Two years ago, my co-workers made fun of me because I tried to use the word "eponymous" in a news release. They deleted it, saying that no one knows what that word means anymore. One of the many things I like about Ralph Keyes is that he uses words like "eponymous" -- and he expects that you'll know what it means, too. Keyes' writing will either teach you some really cool words to use at cocktail parties -- or make you wish that you had paid more attention during your 8th-grade vocabulary class.
With Quote Verifier (QV), Keyes has added more fodder to the quote mill, which he kicked off with his Nice Guys Finish Seventh. QV can be read from beginning to end, or it can be read non-linearly as a reference.
Who originally came up with "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."? Kennedy? Which one? Neither, actually. You'll find this under the alphabetical listings under ASK, where you'll find that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes said something remarkably similar 80 years before JFK did. There's an entire section (under the "Ks") devoted to the Kennedys, especially John and Robert. Having grown up in Massachusetts, I was often treated to "Kennedyisms." John Kennedy usually cited his sources. Bobby often cited John and Ted credited Bobby.
Also, as a former and unreformed New Englander, I was ecstatic to see that theologian Reinhold Niebuhr was correctly credited for his "Serenity Prayer," as opposed to "anonymous," which I so often see. (Niebuhr's widow lived up the street from me and was the speaker at my high school graduation.) However, "Shays' Rebellion" was spelled "Shay's Rebellion," a mistake commonly made in the Midwest. Daniel Shays hasn't been quoted for saying anything remarkable, or I'm sure Keyes would have gotten his name right.
The book is organized in a very user-friendly manner. The key words in each quote are in all caps and the quotes are listed alphabetically according to the key words. An index in the back directs you to the people who said -- or didn't -- what you're trying to find. Also in the back is a key word index directing you to the quote.
If you sit down and read this book linearly as I did, a few things are bound to happen:
1) You'll hear people cited for things all over the place for things they didn't think up first. Coincidentally, I was reading the section about an army travelling on its stomach when someone made reference to it on television (attributing it incorrectly to Napoleon, as most people do according to Keyes).
2) You'll be afraid to quote anyone for fear of getting it wrong.
3) You'll wonder how long Keyes worked on digging up each quote's source. His sources range from Celestial Seasonings tea boxes and Reader's Digest (which I am going to take with a grain of salt now) to university libraries and tottering biographers of celebrities of centuries past. If someone ever found the ancient libraries of Alexandria, Keyes would be the first in line to check out who really said that an army travels on its stomach. It's kind of scary.
I wouldn't want this to be a library book that I had to return. I would want it on hand, where I could refer to it frequently and react with my notes in the margins. This book would be a good purchase for people who like to use quotes (in speeches, newsletters, classes) and want to be correct. It would make a great reference for any student or writer, as well as anyone who wants to know more about the history of our favorite expressions.


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Pinhole Photography, Fourth Edition: From Historic Technique to Digital Application Review

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(More customer reviews)"Rediscovering a historical technique" was the old subtitle for the earlier editions. Now it's "From historical technique to digital application." And that change of subtitle is revealing. There's a lot more here on pinholes and zone plates for digital cameras, and a lot less on early camera obscura experiments. There's still a good emphasis on the do-it-yourself aspects which is a good thing with pinholes as you really can make and modify good quality instruments. No matter how hard you work if you make wine it's not likely to be better than the $7 bottle at the corner store, but your twenty minute camera construction can work as well as a Holga. And your modifications to an old box camera can produce brilliant images.
The essential pinhole camera reference, and exhortation to action, has been updated, expanded, edited, and made higher-tech. And it's all a good thing.

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Evidence Explained:Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace 2nd Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources . . . is, arguably, one of the most important works that any genealogy buff should have on his/her bookshelf. Citing sources consistently and meaningfully is the single most important criteria by which a family history is judged and failure to properly document these sources not only completely invalidates many family histories (as they cannot be viewed with confidence) but is quickly recognized by others who are searching for the same ancestors. Without question, my criticisms of genealogical research have focused on the shoddy and haphazard approach that genealogists (including hobbyists) have had to use because there simply have been no standards for doing so. This is something that I've struggled with, over the past twenty years myself - I've used Richard Lackey's now very outdated "Cite your sources: a manual for documenting family histories and genealogical records" (copyright 1980) when I first published my own family history well over a decade ago and have since howled in dismay at the lack of standardization for citing sources in essentially all of the software applications created since then (RootsMagic 4 appears to be the first to address this problem in their latest program). This has caused me considerable grief whenever I've tried to update my own databases.
Evidence Explained (second edition - I don't own the first) has done an exceptional job in providing a strong starting ground for the standardization of genealogical citation practices and provides a nearly encyclopedic approach in covering the topic. While genealogical citation practices are still developing, Elizabeth Mills has created an exemplary work on the topic - this book is long, long overdue. Fortunately, she has also addressed one of the most difficult tasks that has developed over the past ten to fifteen years - the need to document electronic sources - and she has done a splendid job.
Perhaps my only criticism (so far) is that this book attempts to draw attention away from genealogy by proclaiming that is is focused on citing "history sources" - sure, genealogy should be taken seriously but it should not try to piggyback on other disciplines (such as history and the social sciences); rather, it seek recognition as it's own unique topic worthy of study. I also couldn't help but notice that the bibliography cites references to other widely used citation formats (most notably the Chicago Manual of Style and the Modern Language Association of America) but ignores one of the most widely styles used by those in the social sciences - that of the American Psychological Association. Just the same, this is not a problem but is worthy of note.
At the moment, I believe that this book is exemplary and finally provides a rock solid foundation upon which citing sources in genealogical research has desperately needed for so long. At last, genealogists have a valid model upon which to guide the most important component of creating family histories - documenting sources. Anyone compiling a genealogy needs to buy this book NOW, and strive to use it.

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Following its enthusiastic reception in 2007, we are pleased to announce a new edition of what is now the definitive guide to the citation and analysis of historical sources, a guide so thorough that it leaves nothing to chance, whether you want a podcast or a census record. The new second edition of Evidence Explained includes updates to numerous websites, new models for electronic sources such as blogs and online forums, and new model citations to traditional and non-traditional genealogical sources, thus continuing its role as the single-most comprehensive style manual for genealogical writing and publishing.

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If Ignorance Is Bliss, Why Aren't There More Happy People?: Smart Quotes for Dumb Times Review

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(More customer reviews)I have several books of quotes and this is one of my favorites. It is a nice little book to have around for thoughtfulness or just for a laugh. If you like reading quotes, you'll like this book! There are lots of interesting quotes from both modern and classic people
The book is broken down by subject A-Z and includes hundreds of topics and quotes. The table of contents lists all the topics and there is an index of all the people including their birthdates and deathdates and occupation (although in some instances the index page number was incorrect and I was unable to find the particular person). Also, be aware, some quotes may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Here are some samples:
Jerry Seinfeld "Introducing the `Lite'-The new way to spell "Light" but with 20% fewer letters"
Joan Baez "You may not know it, but at the far end of despair, there is a white clearing where one is almost happy."
Yogi Berra: You can observe a lot by watching.
Joan Rivers "A man can sleep around, but if a woman makes nineteen or twenty mistakes she's a tramp."
Mark Twain: "The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."
Frank Lloyd Wright: "The truth is more important than the facts."
Mae West "The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond."
Marty Feldman "I won't eat anything that has intelligent life, but I'd gladly eat a network executive or a politician"
Indira Gandhi "My grandfather one told me that there are two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there."
Lucille Ball "The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age."


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i-Quote: Brilliance and Banter from the Internet Age Review

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(More customer reviews)Podcasts, predictions, blogs, blunders, Gates, Jobs and Dave Barry -- it's all here and more in this smart, fun romp through the tangled web we've weaved. David is to be applauded for putting together a book this entertaining and though-provoking. A must-read for everyone trying to make sense of the internet age!

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Launched in 1969 by UCLA researchers, the internet was followed by the first e-mails in 1972, and then by public servers such as AOL and CompuServe in the 1980s. In the infancy of computer networks, overblown predictions and woefully wrong prognostications abounded."i-Quote" is one part humour, one part timeline of this cultural phenomenon, and packed full of brilliant banter and one-liners that are sure to entertain and surprise even the most technologically advanced amongst us, such as: "Nobody who wasn't a high-energy physicist had even heard of the World Wide Web when I became President. And now even my cat, Socks, has his own page." - Bill Clinton in 1996.

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