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Books by William Zinsser

William Zinsser was an American writer, literary critic and teacher. Between 1973 and 1979, he taught writing at Yale University and afterward served as the executive editor of the exclusive, subscription-based Book of the Month Club. He wrote 18 books on various topics, but is best known today for his several guides on writing. “On Writing Well” is regarded as a classic in the genre.

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On Writing Well

William Zinsser

“On Writing Well” by William Zinsser is a well-known guide to writing nonfiction. Based on the premise that writing is craft and not art, the book explores a few timeless principles of writing (simplicity, clutter, style, audience, words, usage), while advocating for unity of pronoun, tense, and mood. In addition, “On Writing Well” abounds in genre-specific advice and rousing calls to arms and action.

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