Re: Books on writing?

[Frank Brownlow fbrownlo@xxxxxxxx]

I think 1972 was the significant one. In that edition, as I recall, the
brought-in editor's name was given. Perhaps in 1979 they went back to
Strunk-White original.
E.B.White's contribution was a genial essay on writing, he--I
think--this is all from memory--having been taught by Strunk at Cornell.
The 1972 editor had no qualms about changing his words. I suppose what
happened is that the publisher wanted a new edition to generate more
revenue, and asked White to revise his piece. White told them to get
lost, so they did what text-book publishers do in those circumstances:
hired themselves an editor.

The whole story of Mr. Strunk's little textbook and its reincarnations
is probably interesting.

Frank Brownlow





Patricia M. Godfrey wrote:
> Frank Brownlow wrote:
> > If you want Strunk & White--I think the title is "The Elements of
> > style"--you have to buy a pre-1970 or so copy. That was about when,
> > in the manner of text-book publishers, the owners of the copyright
> > brought in a run-of-the-mill freshman English teacher to revise the
> > book who, like most such people, hadn't the first notion of real
> > writing, and wrecked it.
> Very interesting. My copy is c. 1979, Macmillan, 3d ed., but the only
> names acknowledged to have contributed are Strunk himself and E. B.
> White. According the the copyright page, the earlier eds. were 1935
> (itself a "rev. ed.", of what unspecified), 1959, and 1972. White had
> no hand in the 1935 ed., which was Strunk, rev. by Edward A. Tenney.