William Strunk Jr. (1 July 1869 – 26 September 1946) wrote his “little book” in 1918 for his students at Cornell University and it was published by Harcourt in 1920. E. B. White (11 July 1899 – 1 October 1985), one of Strunk’s students, was asked by Macmillan and Company to revise and update the book in 1959. Millions of copies have been sold over the years.
White also produced a second edition in 1972 and a third in 1979, the one that I have. I prefer not to use the later ones as they start to get into politically correct gender usage. Whether it’s the Bible or a grammar book, I understand that the word “man” includes men and women in most cases. Your mileage may vary.
Among my favorite sections are uses of apostrophes (how many times have I been tempted to change a sign on a street or in a store that uses an apostrophe incorrectly in a word that is plural, not possessive), “Words and Expressions Commonly Misused,” and the advice to keep the adjectives and adverbs to a minimum.
Am I sounding like a geek yet?
In addition to this gem of a book, E. B. White was famous as an essayist, short story writer, and writer of novels for children, such as Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan.
White says, “Writing good standard English is no cinch.” Ain’t that the truth. But this book makes it easier.
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