Rating: 
Summary: Simply the best
Review: Diana Hacker's A Writer's Reference is THE book for information on grammar, punctuation, mechanics, etc. All the information you need is there in one easy-to-use book. Even experienced writers will find it useful.
Rating:
Summary: Professional and down to earth - all rolled into one
Review: Diana's book is very well planned, with a logical structure and plenty of examples. The book covers everything from ESL and MLA on to comma splices and sexist language. Moreover, I greatly recommend the spiral back version with the thumb index. Also, it comes on CD-ROM (contact her publisher).I have been a great fan of Diana Hacker's books since college; now, as a translator and documentation engineer I still rely on her as my main source for grammar and usage.
Rating:
Summary: An APA or Mla must have!
Review: Don't listen to anything else you've heard; this is THE must-have guide for any undergrad or grad student who is tasked with writing any kind of research or term paper. The author provides easily understandable examples and explanations of APA and Mla formats with helpful grammar tips. This guide is a must have for any serious student or writer. Kudos to Ms. Hacker!
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Summary: The BIBLE for every English major in college!
Review: Every undergraduate in college at one time or another has more than likely used this book by Diana Hacker. And as an English major, I constantly refer to this book for writing papers, mainly in the MLA format. A Writer's Reference is reliable as well as the most authoritative, comprehensive, and trusted reference book on the market. Pick it up on Amazon,Com or at your local campus book store.
Rating: 
Summary: Good tool, except as an aid for revision.
Review: Hacker's handbook is a wonderful resource for student writers. I require my freshman composition students to purchase a copy, and we use her book to enhance our classroom writing projects. My students rely on her handbook for its guides for peer review, as well as for all the basics of grammar and "correctness" in writing. However, the gaping flaw in this handbook is its de-emphasis on revision in writing. Its "Revising" section barely suggests that students should revise *ideas*, and focuses instead on sentence revision and the structure of a paper (the minutia of student composition), to the detriment of promoting whole and significant revision of *thought*.
Rating:
Summary: Good handbook, except when it comes to revision
Review: Hacker's text is exceptionally easy to use, but this edition (like past editions) fails to focus on techniques writers can employ for revising papers--one of the more difficult and mysterious stages of the writing process. Instead, Hacker briefly discusses ways to revise sentences and paragraphs without focusing on approaches to the global revision of ideas, thesis statements, and the overall direction of an essay. I have used Hacker's handbook in the college classes I teach for years, but I am always forced to supplement it extensively with resources for practicing revision. At a time when composition studies and composition specialists are focused on process-oriented and technology-driven writing instruction, this is a handbook that omits a crucial component of most composition instruction.
Rating: 
Summary: Great reference
Review: I purchased this book as a requirement for a college course -- and this is the only college "textbook" I haven't disposed of in some way. Its labeled tabs make it easy to access information with the flick of a finger, and the front and back menus make it somewhat easy to find the information you're looking for. My only complaint about this book is the lack of a comprehensive index. For instance, if I wanted to find information about comma usage, I cannot simply look up "comma". I must utilize the menu and think in a heirarchal way -- Punctiation --> The comma. There have also been times I was unable to find information because I was unable to categorize what I was looking for. Another aspect of this book is the online help. The book provides a URL where you can find supplemental information about the book and take interactive quizzes to test your grammar knowledge. Despite some of its quirks, I would highly recommend this book as a good reference.
Rating:
Summary: Great reference
Review: I purchased this book as a requirement for a college course -- and this is the only college "textbook" I haven't disposed of in some way. Its labeled tabs make it easy to access information with the flick of a finger, and the front and back menus make it somewhat easy to find the information you're looking for. My only complaint about this book is the lack of a comprehensive index. For instance, if I wanted to find information about comma usage, I cannot simply look up "comma". I must utilize the menu and think in a heirarchal way -- Punctiation --> The comma. There have also been times I was unable to find information because I was unable to categorize what I was looking for. Another aspect of this book is the online help. The book provides a URL where you can find supplemental information about the book and take interactive quizzes to test your grammar knowledge. Despite some of its quirks, I would highly recommend this book as a good reference.
Rating:
Summary: Great reference
Review: I purchased this book as a requirement for a college course -- and this is the only college "textbook" I haven't disposed of in some way. Its labeled tabs make it easy to access information with the flick of a finger, and the front and back menus make it somewhat easy to find the information you're looking for. My only complaint about this book is the lack of a comprehensive index. For instance, if I wanted to find information about comma usage, I cannot simply look up "comma". I must utilize the menu and think in a heirarchal way -- Punctiation --> The comma. There have also been times I was unable to find information because I was unable to categorize what I was looking for. Another aspect of this book is the online help. The book provides a URL where you can find supplemental information about the book and take interactive quizzes to test your grammar knowledge. Despite some of its quirks, I would highly recommend this book as a good reference.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic reference book!
Review: I really like the book. It helps me a lot in me doing my writing assignments. I would like to own one.
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