Quality time with Strunk and White

"The Elements of Style" dates back to 1918. Its authors, William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, left this life knowing nothing of the Internet. The book's tone is often preachy and a lot of its advice is outdated. It is the only book on the English language anyone really needs.

"The little book," or "Strunk and White," has come through four editions. White ("Charlotte's Web") was one of Strunk's students and a big fan of the professor's privately published handbook, so he made a deal to recast it for the public in the late 1950s. This, basically, is the version that all writers and English majors know. The last revision was done in 1999 by an anonymous editor who took out all the non-PC stuff.

I've always kept a copy near my desk, rereading it every year or so (it takes maybe an hour and a half). When my daughter first took to writing, I bought her a copy. As a journalism professor, I made the kids read it before I started cleaning up their spelling, grammar, usage.

You have to pick and choose what applies these days. I wouldn't advise bloggers to heed these rules: "Place yourself in the background. Do not affect a breezy manner. Prefer the standard to the offbeat." But all of us need to remember these: "Write in a way that comes naturally. Use figures of speech sparingly. Revise and rewrite."

Observing this golden rule -- "Do not overwrite" -- I am outta here. Happy reading.