The Handbook of Technical Writing, Eighth Edition (Handbook of Technical Writing Practices)

The publisher claims that the handbook "is specifically geared to the art of technical communication". Not so. The majority of information here pertains to all writers--for instance, the explanation of the proper use of italics and discussion of the voice, mood, and tense of verbs. Even the examples are general rather than technically-related: the entry for like/as has the example "She took to architecture as a bird takes to nest building", which it is difficult to imagine finding in a computer manual, progress report, proposal, or even correspondence.

Some readers may find value in the longer entries, such as those about feasibility reports, instructions, process explanation, proposals, and various types of letters. These provide an interesting combination of introduction/recap for these topics. However, some of the longer entries are bewildering--for example, there is an entry about interviewing for a job, the presence of which is difficult to justify, particularly as the discussion is not specific to jobs in technical writing.

Several entries are marked with a symbol that resembles a cross between the European recycling logo and the yin/yang symbol. There is no explanation of the meaning of this symbol... unless the reader happens across the entry for English as a second language (ESL). Ouch.

Although this fifth hardcover edition has a 1997 copyright date, some examples betray the book's earlier origin. The examples of typeface quality (under the entry for word processing) shows a very early laser printer. The text discusses dot matrix, letter-quality, and laser printers-inkjet printers are not mentioned. Similarly, there is no discussion of the writing of software documentation. I was left with the feeling that revision was limited to insertion of new entries (such as the Internet item).

This book is an uneasy compromise between a grammar style guide and a series of short articles on technical writing. I yield to educators to judge whether or not it is suitable for first-year university and college students. My subjective impression is that it does not represent value for money, even for that audience.


Indispensable   May 12, 2003
 52 out of 52 found this review helpful

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.


A Very Good Handbook for Technical Writing   December 2, 1999
 29 out of 29 found this review helpful

I have the 5th edition of this handbook. It is a very good reference book to keep at your desk. Although I would not recommend this as a text book for technical communication, it is a great reference book for anyone that has to write or create documents at work. It is arranged alphabetically by topic, and has a detailed index. This book makes a good supplement to a text book for a college level technical communication class.


Handbook of Technical Writing   September 1, 2004
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

This volume contains sample letters, sentence structure and
grammatical presentations. The singular, plural, subject,
objective and possessive forms are set forth simply with ample
examples. Even proofreader's markings are set forth. The presentation would be extremely valuable for students, writers,
teachers, businesspeople and a wide constituency of the general
public. It is a good value for the price charged.


Awesome resource for generating technical documents!   July 2, 1998
 10 out of 13 found this review helpful

I'm not a technical writer by trade but I do spend plenty of time as a project manager writing functional and design specifications for software and web sites. This book is a true jewel, providing design, layout, and word usage for all of my documents. It's the book you've been searching for all of this time!!