Recommended
Reading

Grammar and Punctuation:

William Zinsser, "On Writing Well," 1976. A crisp, smoothly written standout in the otherwise dreary world of books on how to improve your writing.

William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White, "The Elements of Style," 1959. A timeless guide on common mistakes in writing that argues vigorously for muscular prose.

Lynne Truss, "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," 2004. A British scold, natch, on the issues of punctuation who nonetheless maintains a sense of humor throughout.

Patricia T. O'Conner, "Woe Is I," 1996. A sensible, lively guide to basic grammar issues "in plain English." (That means it's written by an American.)

Bill Walsh, "Lapsing Into a Comma," 2000. The Wall Street Journal's chief copy editor rants and raves (mostly rants) about style issues. For die-hards, mainly.

On Journalism:

Pete Hamill, "News is a Verb," 1998. A slim volume by the former editor of The New York Daily News that explores the state of journalism today and what we can do to fix it.

William E. Blundell, "The Art and Craft of Feature Writing," 1986. Started as an in-house guide for reporters at The Wall Street Journal, this helpful how-to focuses on news features.

Jon Franklin, "Writing for Story," 1986. The winner of the first Pulitzer Prizes for feature writing and explanatory journalism walks step-by-step through three solid feature stories.

Press Law:

Fred W. Friendly, "Minnesota Rag," 1981. A famed CBS newsman's account of Near v. Minnesota, the seminal Supreme Court decision on prior restraint.

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