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| Authors: William Strunk Jr., E.b. White
Creator: Maira Kalman
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $10.09
You Save: $5.91 (37%)
Rating:  56 reviews
Sales Rank: 2820
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 6 x 0.5
ISBN: 0143112724
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.042
EAN: 9780143112723
Publication Date: August 28, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Let's See the Pictures November 2, 2005
33 out of 75 found this review helpful
A copy of The Elements of Style has been on my shelf for more than 20 years now. It is a timeless, marvelous reference. Here, now, we have an illustrated edition. Wouldn't it be nice to actually see a few of the illustrations? I know what the original says. It's the pictures that make this edition much more expensive than the paperback version, so why not let me browse through a few here online? Guess I'll have to go to a bookstore (remember those?) and actually turn through the pages if this online offering won't show them to me.
Cute, but... November 14, 2005
33 out of 40 found this review helpful
The illustrations are interesting and nice. But this edition is certainly not a "user". Page numbers are all "inside" - along the binding side and at the bottom of the pages. To accommodate the illustrations you can go six pages without a page number. When you try to use this book as a reference, the illustrations just get in the way, breaking up your train of thought.
Not that I'm pushing book sales, but if you get this illustrated edition (or plan of giving it as a gift), do yourself a favor and also get the paperback version. That way you have something you can actually use, as well as having a volume for muse.
 Wonderful Gift for College Students October 25, 2005
18 out of 25 found this review helpful
Wow, what a fantastic item. Everything found in the original and more, including rich, high-quality paper and beautiful cover. A must for every college student's book shelf. I sent a copy to my son, who started classes this fall at the University of Georgia. He's found it to be a tremendous resource. Other items I highly recommend for college students, which are great "care package" items include:
*"How to Ace Your Way Through College and Still Have a Life." Wonderful advice. The best college success guide available.
*"Working with Words": Another must-have resource for college students.
*"2006 World Almanac": Just about every fact and figure at your fingertips.
Dr. Susan Kleiner
Georgia
 Deft Illustration of the Classic Style Guide Stays True to the Original Intent November 3, 2005
18 out of 23 found this review helpful
Many of us baby boomers have lived and breathed William Strunk Jr.'s and E.B. White's "Elements of Style" as we attempted to reacquaint ourselves with the rules of the road when it comes to writing clear prose. Its compact size (only 105 pages) and clear organization made the tome the pinnacle of usability before such factors came into play as successful criteria for any easy-to-use reference manual. The book, at least White's famous revision of it, is as old as me, both of us born in 1959, and clearly both of us are in need of an overhaul to refresh the knowledge we present to a more contemporary audience.
Enter artist Maira Kalman, who was so inspired by the book when she discovered it at a yard sale four years ago that she applied her considerable artistic gift and contributed 59 colorful illustrations to this version. The net result is a charming and comical addendum to an established classic. Keep in mind that the original intention of the authors was simply to present eight elementary rules of usage, ten elementary principles of composition and a list of commonly misused words or expressions. Consequently, it's impressive how Kalman is able to stay true to the rigidity of the book's structure with her whimsical images. Even though in earlier days I actually preferred the slap of the ruler of White's terse instructional style, I think Kalman brings a sense of humanity that is totally unexpected.
great contents, shoddy binding December 13, 2005
13 out of 18 found this review helpful
The illustrations are wonderful, as are the font and graphic design. The paper on which the book is printed also seems to be fairly high quality, bright and heavy to the touch, and looks to be acid-free. HOWEVER, the cloth binding is execrable. My copy is brand new, yet the front and back covers are already warping, and the text block itself is noticeably curved and starting to warp. The garish, cheap red cloth cover is poorly embossed; the title and spine lettering looks painted on with white-out and a cardboard stencil. I suspect that it will probably flake off in a matter of months. It's bewildering to me that the Penguin Press would lavish so much attention on the text block, then skimp on the binding, for an edition whose principle allure is as an objet d'art.
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