Rating: 
Summary: Useful and fun
Review: Bill Walsh, the Washington Post's copy editor for national news, is an unabashed "prescriptivist" -- someone for whom, in writing, there are things that are wrong because they've always been wrong. "Even if you think it's arrogant to condemn a perfectly understandable bit of prose as 'wrong,'" he writes, "you have to answer one big question: Do you want to look stupid?"With "The Elephants of Style" you'll reduce the chance of sounding stupid, increase the likelihood that your writing will have style -- or, as Walsh puts it, FLAIR! ELAN! PANACHE! -- and have a lot of fun. "The Elephants of Style" is the rare book about writing and style that you may (as I did) read from cover to cover for sheer pleasure -- like the pleasure of learning that "the New York train station is Grand Central Terminal," but "Grand Central Station remains the correct expression for mothers yelling at their kids about running in and out of the kitchen." I'll admit it: I'm one of those lovers of English who has shelves full of books about writing and the use of our language. I regularly read Walsh's website "The Slot: A Spot for Copy Editors," and I also purchased his first book, "Lapsing Into a Comma," which also was a delight. "Lapsing" was aimed at an audience of more sophisticated word users or, as Walah says, was written for editors and writers. "Elephants of Style," he says, was written for writers and editors. It will benefit everyone, I say, from professional writers and editors to middle-school English students. I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: A Stylebook With Style
Review: Call it "grammar" if you like, but using words and punctuation marks correctly is more about common sense than it is about memorizing dusty old textbooks. Using real-world examples, not English-teacher-speak, I stand firm on some usage chestnuts (never use "which" when you mean "that") but knock down others (such as "never split infinitives") in this up-to-date, pop-culture-filled guide to modern American usage. You'll laugh, you'll learn -- not bad for $14.95.
Rating:
Summary: A necessity for all editors
Review: Every copy editor (and many who think they're copy editors) should own and faithfully read and reference this book. "Lapsing into a Comma" has the same wit and humor previously found on Walsh's Web site The Slot, and keeps things in a clear and concise fashion that anyone (and by that I mean non-grammar people like myself) can understand. The book answers several questions the AP Stylebook just doesn't cover, and clarifies several things the stylebook does cover.
Rating:
Summary: Grammar Fun
Review: How refreshing to see a style guide that doesn't take itself too seriously! Bill Walsh gives witty, entertaining, and, most imporantly, CLEAR guidance on effective communication. For the grammar afficionado, this is a great resource.
Rating:
Summary: The perfect book! Well, it's really good, anyway.
Review: I admit it -- I'm one of those people who can sit in a cornerreading a book on grammar and be perfectly content for hours. I'm also one of those lucky enough to have stumbled across Bill Walsh's Web site...several years ago. Here in this fabulous book he has transferred most of the good advice from his Web site, so that I can now carry it with me wherever I go. (Would I actually do that? Hmm ...) Bill makes the subject of grammar not only readable, but fun. Yes, I said "fun"! He argues against some of the "silly taboos" of ancient grammatical rules, but he also makes suggestions about when to go along with the rules even if they don't make sense, "if only to avoid the scorn of the misinformed legions." His examples are often hilarious: "Individuals who need individuals are the luckiest individuals in the world"; "Why does Paul McCartney want me to live on his piano?" (You'll have to look in the book for an explanation.) No, I'm not on his payroll, but I am in his debt. I've used his advice to help me decide how to rewrite a sentence (I don't always agree with him, but it's a real rarity when I don't) and used his examples to add humor to my day. Once you get the book, don't be surprised if you look up how to use a semicolon and find yourself still reading the book a half hour later, chuckling all the way.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the weak
Review: I just ordered this book. I recently heard about it at the author's website and had to have it. It was money well spent. I'm buying several more for my favorite copy editors. This is a necessity for every copy editor or anyone managing copy for print. The author covered all of my pet peeves and touched on capitalization, math, pronoun and verb use and tech terms. Bill Walsh's choices are sometimes at odds with what we find in the AP Stylebook, but he provides reasonable explanations for his rationale. A good read! This one will remain at arm's length.
Rating:
Summary: Great read for copy editors. Money Well Spent.
Review: I just ordered this book. I recently heard about it at the author's website and had to have it. It was money well spent. I'm buying several more for my favorite copy editors. This is a necessity for every copy editor or anyone managing copy for print. The author covered all of my pet peeves and touched on capitalization, math, pronoun and verb use and tech terms. Bill Walsh's choices are sometimes at odds with what we find in the AP Stylebook, but he provides reasonable explanations for his rationale. A good read! This one will remain at arm's length.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reference work
Review: I may never understand why I have to write "It is hoped," instead of "hopefully," but luckily there is Bill Walsh to back me up in this book. He's the copy editor all other copy editors look to for advice when AP fails them. And this book is actually funny and entertaining! (Oops, exclamation points are a no-no.)
Rating:
Summary: Even a grammar maven can learn something new
Review: I thought I knew English grammar inside and out until my father-in-law got me this book. Not only have I learned many new things about grammar and good writing, but I've been vastly entertained in the process. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in writing well.
Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: I've bought a lot of grammar books; generally, they help me get to sleep. Walsh had me laughing out loud at 2:00 a.m. - not with contrived examples, but with terrible truths. He tells you what's wrong with what you hear and read, and how to recognize what's wrong with what you're about to say and write. I'm still recovering from the warning about Reese's monkeys!
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