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Title: The Handbook of Technical Writing, Seventh Edition by Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, Walter E. Oliu ISBN: 0312309236 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: February, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $38.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.38

Rating: 5
Summary: Indispensable
Comment: As a technical writer, I've found this book to be just that. While it definitely is not a "how to write technical manuals" type of book, the topics and material covered make it well worth having on any writer's bookshelf. And in this latest edition, not only have the editors done another great job, the book's page layout is wonderful. In previous editions, all text and type was in black. In this edition, headings, paragraph titles and diagrams are framed in blue. This seemingly minor change makes the book's material easier to read and refer to.

The book continues to have extensive information about writing-related topics. Everything from proper grammar, to writing reports, to interviewing subject matter experts, how to do Internet research for a writing project, writing newsletters and/or abstracts, interviewing for a job and interviewing a subject matter expert for more information about a subject, writing proposals, and so forth is covered in this book. There's even a companion web site to the book that provides links to online resources for further information.

The book's preface contains what the editors consider their "Five Steps to Successful Writing," and also a "Checklist of the Writing Process," complete with subsections containing listings for (in order) Preparation, Research, Organization, Writing a Draft, and Revision. In fact, a few of the book's numerous entries contain their own "writer's checklist" of things to do. Some subjects have not only a heading, but cross-references to other pages of related topics. For example, if I was interested in learning how to write a proposal, I could go to that listing, and also find reference information on internal and external proposals. There seems to be at times an endless wealth of information about whatever writing topic you are looking for. This book's main strength obviously is how all the book's material is organized.

This is one book every writer should have. Even though it isn't a "how-to-write" book, it's still a "tools for writing" book. I find myself referring to it often when I'm
working on any kind of writing project.

As with past editions, the book's editors have done a wonderful job with this handbook.

Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent resource
Comment: I have the 5th edition of the book and it's one of the better resources I've found for technical writing and general writing. The entries are concise and to the point.

Rating: 3
Summary: Practical not Pretty
Comment: While this book is a practical guide for professional writers, it isn't enough on its own.

I haven't used the book enough to make it worth the price I paid but it's a nice refresher for things I should know but don't remember.

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