Rating: 
Summary: Few books are both helpful and fun
Review: Most grammar books are about as entertaining as reading all the text -- including footnotes -- in a sixteen-volume introduction to the history of the shower curtain. Miss Gordon does for grammar what Alfred Hitchcock did for taking showers in cheesy hotels. Advanced students (test: define subjective complement) won't need this, but might like to read it simply because it is so much fun! For beginners, I can't imagine a better basic text. Buy it. You'll feel like Janet Leigh staying with the Bates.
Rating:
Summary: the first grammar book you should read
Review: My grammar stinks, so I've read a few grammar books to help me out. Most of them are okay-- they've taught me a thing or two about punctuation, syntax, and so on--but the grammar book that stand outs the most is The Deluxe Transitive Vampire. What makes it exceptionally informative and even fun to read is that the author does not attempt to teach you the rules of grammar with boring and windy explanations. Instead, she teaches them with numerous examples of grammatically correct sentences to tell you how they should be written and grammatically incorrect sentences to tell you how they should not be written. This is the most effective approach to teaching grammar. Students will quickly and effortlessly acquire a deeper understanding of grammar.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: My Muse was very taken by this book...she positively squealed with rapture! With its wicked, witty and eccentric cast of characters, The Deluxe Transitive Vampire is the most delightful handbook of English grammar that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. That's right. I said handbook of English grammar. Through whimsical prose and exceptional cleverness, author Karen Elizabeth Gordon beguiles even the most stubborn grammar-hater into a happy understanding of the tricks and turns of the English language. The example sentences not only illustrate usage, but also intimate a shadowy and fanciful tale populated by dope fiends, Debutante, wolf, bat, baby vampire, mastadon, lamia, courtesan and pizza chef. Presented as the vaguest outlines of a captivating gothic narrative, these stories are less explicated than tantalizingly hinted at. The Deluxe Transitive Vampire is a feast for the imagination. This book is a delightful introduction to the rich and varied, though often reviled, subject of grammar. It is, however, only an introduction, and Gordon does not draw as clear a distinction between formal and demotic usage as one might hope for. Even so, I venture to say only the most Procrustean of grammarians will fail to be charmed by this clever and delightful volume.
Rating: 
Summary: My, what big words you use, Grammar!
Review: OK, let's face it: grammar is basically a fairly dull subject, and Ms. Gordon seeks to overcome this by using sentences that refer to Creatures of the Night and other Edward-Goreylike thingies. This makes her book more readable than other grammar books, but it's still not exactly thigh-slapping humor.
If you want to get junior-high or high-school students to sit down and study grammar, this book is most likely your best bet. It will probably hold their interest, and they'll probably learn something. On that basis, I recommend it ... but don't expect a lot more.
PS: My comments are based on reading the original 1984 edition. I don't imagine it's changed much.
Rating:
Summary: Getting the kids interested
Review: On a recent car trip I read this book to my nephew-a 16-year-old who isn't fond of reading-and he asked for his own copy! Descriptions of parts of speech are entertaining and examples of sentences are intriguing. Some of the words used in explanations are college level, so the book is not for everyone. This was the first of her books that I've read. It won't be the last!
Rating:
Summary: Serving a motivated audience...beware if seeking a quick fix
Review: This book has received excellent reviews from many reviewers, who felt that the book helped them immensely with their own grammar; however, having studied language acquisition and linguistics, I have found myself wondering exactly who this book would best serve. If you are looking for a book that will teach you to write well and grammatically, this is not your book. You will need a hard core and detailed grammar book for that. And if you're just a grammar nut and love reading about it (like I am), you're probably going to be bored to tears. So who would this book be good for? Well, some of Gordon's grammatical explanations are quite original, so I would recommend this book for the classroom teacher of grammar who is looking for alternative phrasings of traditional rules. And for the motivated learner... If you struggle with grammar, this book might be fun for you to read through, and will probably serve as an excellent introduction to grammar. Don't be deceived, though--neither this nor any book is going to teach you to write. You will learn to write by reading great authors and attempting to immitate their writing, and by seeking out an editor/teacher--someone who will read your writing and give you personalized tips. It is nearly impossible for even the best of writers to edit their own writing, and you shouldn't read this book thinking that it will solve your grammatical woes. I think the greatest value this book has to offer is in its readability and ability to inspire (I hope). I recommend the book if you want an introduction to grammar, and I hope you will find yourself inspired to pursue further studies. aryln@hotmail.com
Rating:
Summary: Grammar books should not contain grammatical errors.
Review: This is not an overall review. Instead, it is a mini-review prompted by the desire to further what we must assume to be one of the book's purposes, namely to promote correct usage. Much, maybe a majority, of the text is one-sentence examples. The use of examples is the main instructional technique. It sure is unfortunate that the reader is badly instructed by one of the examples. I hope that you caught the intentional error in the previous sentence. It is the same error that struck me when I read an example that contained it.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusing
Review: Though the silly humor and snide asides are apparently intended to illustrate various grammar rules, for me they were just confusing. I found myself having to read sentences over and over, breaking out the jokes to find the rules. The book covers only the most basic principles of the English language -- another disappointment for someone who went to school to learn the basics, but might want more from a book like this. Even the clip-art was badly placed and only added to the general feeling that the book was tossed together quickly, cheaply, and without the focus necessary to be informative. Serious students of the language, keep going.
Rating:
Summary: Why weren't the school grammar books like this?
Review: You don't get Karen Elizabeth Gordon's language books for a complete reference on the English language; there are far more comprehensive guides than these. No, you get them because you're allured, nay, *seduced* by her prose, and because she has a flair for leading you on, then looking innocently on as you stumble over your own wicked thoughts. Gordon published her original *Transitive Vampire* in 1984, and it was a delight to read then. The newer edition, published in 1993, has only gotten better. There are more lurid examples and, of course, more of those pictures. This isn't to say that the book is devoid of useful grammar instruction. While copy editors are unlikely to find a use for this book, almost everyone else will find something here that they weren't aware of before, whether it's the rule on number agreement or the cases of pronouns. But the real value of Gordon's book is that it makes us actually want to read through it, and the grammar lessons seep into our ears almost by the way. Other grammar books are reference sources; this one reads more like a good novel, and is practically as hard to put down. Gordon's cast of characters include a dour but charming gargoyle named Jean-Pierre, the lovely Alyosha, assorted bats and demons, and even the Statue of Liberty. This gothic motley trundles through the book, whispering sweet nothings about verb tenses. At times, Gordon plays the vamp: "The debutante rocks on her haunches and sucks her thumb." That alone ought to send some to their dictionaries, eagerly looking up what haunches are, and why a scantily clad debutante might be rocking on them. This book is a must for gothic logophiles--and anyone who isn't, might consider playing the part, if only for a night, just to read it.
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