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Summary: Great learning text - full of good information
Review: William Zinsser's on writing well has a history of being used in writing courses. He advocates a writing style is direct, clear and crisp. He divides the book into four sections: The Principles, Methods, Forms and Attitudes. Probably the best parts are the first two. The Principles covers keeping your writing simple, removing clutter, writing for the audience, word choice and usage. The Methods covers things such as unity within the writing, the lead and ending and various other aspects of writing methods. The section on Forms covers various specific writing techniques and styles for different forms of writing. Specifically it covers areas such as the Interview, Travel Articles, the Memoir, Business Writing and Technical Writing. If you have a specific need for one of these forms then the section has some very good advice. Finally the section on Attitude covers the required Attitude of the writer.Throughout the book you learn that writing is indeed a craft that can be learned. Zinsser points out the most important patterns and techniques of successful writers so that you can follow their lead. This book is still one of the most recommended texts for people just beginning to learn to write and with good reason, it should be on the bookshelf of anyone serious about writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Have recommended for 25 years
Review: I have been recommending this book since its first edition, published in 1976. Part 1, which runs 40 or 50 pages or so, is the best short course in clear, effective writing I have ever seen. The book is worth the price just for those pages alone. The book has grown larger with each edition, but those first chapters remain unsurpassed. Supplement it with Strunk & White's The Elements of Style (or vice versa).
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Summary: On Reading This Book
Review: If you are serious about knowing what it takes to be a happy writer, "On Writing Well" is the book to start with. If you are not serious about being a writer but want to know what good writing looks like, this is the book to end with. Zinnser starts with brief chapters. His first few chapters are quick reads and drives you straight toward the end. Zinnser teaches common sense. He is critically fair and gives you enough reasons why he thinks the way he does. Zinnser has a healthy attitude toward his writing. He relates writing to a serious job that only hard work and a clear mind can produce powerful and respectible work. At the same time, he lets you in on how to have fun along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent advice, without talking down
Review: I agree with the other reviewers here who advise you to get a copy of Strunk & White and the other "rule books". But in "On Writing Well", William Zinsser goes beyond do's and dont's to discuss *effective* communication, a subtler and more difficult skill to develop. He also preaches patience: like any skill, you hone it over time and have to keep practicing. As you'd expect, the writing is clear and logical throughout and the book is also well organized. The chapters in the first half focus on general issues -- "Simplicity", "Clutter", "The Lead and The Ending". The second half focusses on writing within specific fields -- Science and Technology, Business (a *wonderful* chapter everyone should read), The Arts, and so on. What I most appreciated about Zinsser's approach is that he does not aim for the lowest common denominator in his target audience, and assumes the reader knows how to write correct English. I know people have been critical of Zinsser's approach and his apparent political bent (keep in mind this was first written on the heels of the Watergate scandal -- this 25th anniversary edition is more up to date). But any of these critics, regardless of their views, would be doing well to express themselves as clearly as Zinsser does, and that is exactly the point of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Sullied by hypocrisy
Review: Zinsser writes a book about clear writing and allows himself to regularly veer off course with political commentary. Such an offense as elevating Adlai Stevensen to the level of Jefferson and Churchill (!) while simultaneously diminishing Reagan cannot pass unnoticed by the reader. If you can manage to set aside this bile as it bubbles up, you'll find the book worthwhile. If you cannot, you will be enraged at the hypocrisy demonstrated by this otherwise competent writer. Zinsser's editor should have clipped him.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome guide!
Review: No-nonsense guide to nonfiction writing for the non-genius. Zinsser uses humor to help you enjoy what can be a cold, forbidding topic. His opinions are often fascinating. My only disappointment arises with the scientific and technical writing chapter. Scientists often have trouble communicating with the layperson; Zinsser addresses that aspect of writing well. However, he doesn't directly address the scientist who needs to write a technical report or journal paper. Of course, the general principles he espouses are helpful. But I was disappointed.
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Summary: A refreshing, breezy and direct reference book for writers.
Review: Informational, witty, clear-cut and a simple enjoyment to read and learn from, William Zinsser's On Writing Well is a splendid reference tool, especially for those writers who specifically favor the craft of nonfiction. Written in an easygoing yet private tone and style, the reader will feel like that he or she is getting a one-on-one tutorial from Zinsser. The book, as a previous reviewer noted, is divided into various sections. Part I being Principles, Part II being Methods, Part III being Forms and Part IV being Attitudes; I found Parts I, II and IV to be the most valuable, for the numerous subsections that are addressed within these parts include simplicity, style, clutter, unity, usage to the psychological aspects of writing-fear, confidence, the development of a diacritical voice, the joy and anguish of the final product, etc... Whether you are a writer of fiction or nonfiction, the subsections (with the exception of Part III: Forms) are applicable to many genres, and Zinsser cites an abundance of examples from the differing writing categories. The writing fields are covered in Part III: Forms-travel writing, memoir and humor writing, writing about science and technology as well as columns and criticism. Within the framework of Part III, Zinsser does not simply examine the genres alone, he delves even further and studies the ranging grammatical theories that authors put to practice in their works. In an example, he presents to the reader the use of simplicity and voice via an excerpt from Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior: "When I went to kindergarten and had to speak English for the first time, I became silent. A dumbness-a shame-still cracks my voice in two, even when I want to say "hello" casually, or ask an easy question in front of the check-out counter, or ask direction of a bus driver. I stand frozen..." In many cases, whether Zinsser is discussing clarity and clutter individually or the whole grammatical and writing enchilada, he gives ample examples for readers to study. I find that when my writing becomes too convoluted and long-winded, On Writing Well takes me back to the roots, the basics. It is, like The Elements of Style, unequivocally a reference book that is on a shelf all by itself.
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Summary: Excellent writing tool!
Review: "Writing isn't easy, it is hard and lonely and the words seldom just flow" says author, editor, and teacher William Zinsser. Zinsser calls "clutter" the disease of American writing. He says the secret to good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Clutter is the laborious phrase that has pushed out the short word that means the same thing. I like his quote, "Few people realize how bad they write." On style, he tells us that you don't just try to add style. It comes with practice; that trying to add style is like adding a toupee. Be yourself, it will come." The author's style is very pure, he is honest, he has wit, humor and a knowledge of the art of writing. The book is sectioned in three parts: Part I is Principles and it covers basics such as clutter, style, the audience, words, usage. Part II is Methods, which discusses unity, the ever important lead and ending and hodge podge of info called Bits and Pieces which delves into punctuation, rewrites, trusting your material, etc. Part III deals with Writing about People - the interview; writing about places - Travel Article; Writing About Yourself - the Memoir, business writing, and writing about the Arts - Critics and Columnists, and writing with humor. Part IV is about Attitudes - The Sound of Your Voice and how to craft a casual effect in writing. He says inexperienced writers miss the point trying to be "just folks." Great book...MzRizz
Rating: 
Summary: Just three stars...
Review: This book rates just three stars - and those are more for its illustrative content rather than style instruction.
The numerous Zinsser fans I see represented among the Amazon reviewers lead me to suspect that perhaps this is not his most effective book. I found many of Zinnser's asides entertaining, particularly the narrative describing a trip to Timbuktu and the experience of Bedouin lifestyle; but as examples intended to help me better my own writing I rate them only fair. I did not find them overbearingly political as another reviewer has commented. The style advice in the first few chapters was marginally helpful, but my suspicion is that Zinsser tried to cover too much ground with too few pages.
Of course, as this very review shows, I'm no great shakes as a writer. However, for the starting writer who wants one or two good initial book purchases, I would recommend two other books that inspired me a bit more than this one did. First, Strunk & White's _The Elements of Style_ is the best style manual around (page for page.) As soon as I actually started reading it (after getting over the memories of having to buy this in college) its genius became apparent. Second, for sheer, irreverent essay writing inspiration, _Sin Boldly!_ by David R. Williams is a winner. Start with these two, and you'll be primed for more!
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Summary: Non-Fiction Writing
Review: I had to read this book along with Bugeja's Guide to Writing Magazine Nonfiction. Bugeja's book (was bad) but Zinsser is the man. He doesn't make learing hard in his book like a lot of other writers do. He talks to you on a personal level and you can tell that he really enjoys writing a lot and this is why he gives so much knowledge to us the fledgling writer. Go buy this book if your serious about writing it will make you grow as a writer greatly.
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