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Mark Garvey

Review from Bookpage, December, 2009. Available here.

History of a classic
Survey the bookshelves of any editor, and one title you're likely to find is The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. Initially designed as a classroom reference manual, this revered grammar guide was first published by Strunk himself--a Cornell University English professor--in 1918. Four decades later, White, a former student of Strunk's, revised the guide for Macmillan and Company. Since then, Elements has sold more than 10 million copies. The evolution of this unlikely classic is documented in Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style by Mark Garvey. An award-winning journalist, Garvey brings an insider's sensibility to this wonderfully readable chronicle of how The Elements of Style came to be. Using previously unpublished letters and photographs from White's archives, he provides an in-depth look at the men behind the book. He also interviews big-name authors like Elmore Leonard and Adam Gopnik, who share their thoughts on the guide. A lively, well-rounded tribute to the volume that has become an editor's bible, Stylized is a compelling account of the birth of a classic.

Copyright 2009, Bookpage


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