The Elements of Style [Illustrated] Paperback – Illustrated, August 28, 2007

Excellent edition of a classic book. Love the illustrations.Well made. Very pleased with the product and seller.

Should be required in high school classes

My new "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, illustrated by Maira Kalman, lies before me now, beside the 1959 edition that I have had since August of that year.Since I hadn't reread the old one in who knows how many years, what induced me to buy a new one? I have always retained affection for Strunk's "little book."Recently I read a review of the new "The Elements of Style Illustrated," and saw a few of the paintings by Maira Kalman. And I heard of the song cycle, based on the book, composed by young Nico Muhly in collaboration with Ms. Kalman and premiered in the Rose Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library.The illustrated book sounded like fun, so I ordered it, which prompted me to read Strunk's words again with new appreciation.The overall design of the new book is appealing -- bright red covers, a somewhat larger format (about an inch wider, a half-inch taller, and 156 pages as opposed to 71), the cleaner look of the pages (with more white space and semi-glossy). Both books are hardbacks; I think I would not like the feel of the new one as a paperback.Most striking on the mostly bare, red front cover, is a huge white colon punctuation mark, centered below "THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE." The printing is white (no connection to E. B. White, I'm sure). The word "illustrated" in small gold italic is printed near the lower right. The red back cover is completely bare except for a matching, centered white semicolon.The cover designer, presumably Ms. Kalman or someone she worked closely with, no doubt intended that we follow these magnified punctuation marks: The colon by reading and viewing the book. The semicolon by proceeding to our own independent work.Ms. Kalman's paintings are colorful, mostly full page, some double page, and attractively quirky. Her subject's eyes are intelligent and draw you in. The first double page appears to be of E. B. White, comfortably seated with a book, in a roomful of books -- piled on the tables, stacked on the floor, shelved in bookcases; on another chair, I think I see his dachshund Minnie who won't relinquish her place to more books. At the end of "Elements" are Ms. Kalman's paintings of Strunk, White again, and of herself.Those of you who were introduced to Strunk years ago, in a Diction and Usage class somewhere (say, Ann Arbor), don't need anyone else to tell you of his value and influence. You who have yet to read him, should have confidence in the millions who already have, knowing that his brief remarks about writing will prove clarifying, incisive, and encouraging. Enjoy Maira Kalman's gallery. The book is a thing of intellectual and visual beauty.

Why shouldn't the most referred to book in my library have some nice artwork?We learn to write multiple times in our life. We may graduate college and never learn to communicate the ideas that we studied. These rules, that once seemed ominous and stifling in grade school, now are dear friends that guide us toward clarity. Visiting the rules again can stimulate a new found confidence of expression.A fresh look for this classic coincided with my need to communicate to a wider audience. While the illustrations don't add to the explanations, the book feels less judgmental. Maybe the added frill of the artwork reminds us that writing should not simply formulaic. Keep this simple guide within arms reach.

When my husband was in college, he had a quote from this book on the wall. His roommates thought he was weird, but my husband didn't care, he loved the clever way I think it was a semi-colon was described to be used. So he was very excited when he saw that I had purchased an illustrated version to use in our homeschooling. I admit I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking forward to incorporating it into our lessons. I really like "pretty" versions of books and thumbing through this one is delightful. E.B. White, author of Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and Trumpet of the Swan, is what drew me to this book over some of the others I might have chosen. Seeing my husband's reaction when he first held it was so rewarding though. What a treasure to have on our bookshelf.

If you attended college, Strunk and White was foisted on you in Freshman English class. it was me, but at the time, I was too unaware of, and too uncaring about writing to pay a lot of attention to it. I actually got back to it twenty-five years later after reading Charlotte's Web to my daughter. Great story, but what impressed me equally was the prose. To me, it's as close to perfect in that respect as a writer can come. So I bounced back to The Elements of Style, co-authored by EB White. Now it read to me less like a text book and more like distilled wisdom. It seems to say to me, "You can't know everything, but you really ought to know this!" Maira Kalman raises this essential book to a new height by her amazing illustrations of Strunk's and White's example sentences. For example, one of the lessons concerns how to group ideas in sentences. The corrected version of "He noticed a large stain in the rug that was right in the center," was "He noticed a large stain right in the center of the rug." Kalman's full page drawing of this sentence has an affluent family relaxing in a formal living room in which, in the center of the rug, there is a dead body lying in a pool of blood-- the large stain. I love this book. It's a great gift for anyone who cares about writing.