Plain Words - Hardcover

Gowers, Rebecca; Gowers, Ernest

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0141975539 ISBN 13: 9780141975535

Publisher: Particular Books, 2014

Synopsis

Author: Ernest Gowers
Hardback
Publication Date: 27/03/2014
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Be short, be simple, be human.' When Sir Ernest Gowers first wrote Plain Words, it was intended simply as a guide to the proper use of English for the Civil Service. Within a year, however, its humour, charm and authority had made it a bestseller. Since then it has never been out of print. Six decades on, writer Rebecca Gowers has created a new edition of this now-classic work that both revises and celebrates her great-grandfather's original. Plain Words has been updated to reflect numerous changes in English usage, yet Sir Ernest's distinctive, witty voice is undimmed. And his message remains vital: our writing should be as clear and comprehensible as possible, avoiding superfluous words and cliches - from the jargon of 'commercialese' to the murky euphemisms of politicians. In a new preface, this edition draws on an extensive private archive, previously hidden away in family cupboards and attics, to tell the story behind a book that has become an institution: the essential guide to making yourself understood.

Publisher: Particular Books
ISBN: 9780141975535

About this title

Product Description:

'Be short, be simple, be human.'

When Sir Ernest Gowers first wrote Plain Words, it was intended simply as a guide to the proper use of English for the Civil Service. Within a year, however, its humour, charm and authority had made it a bestseller. Since then it has never been out of print.

Six decades on, writer Rebecca Gowers has created a new edition of this now-classic work that both revises and celebrates her great-grandfather's original. Plain Words has been updated to reflect numerous changes in English usage, yet Sir Ernest's distinctive, witty voice is undimmed. And his message remains vital: our writing should be as clear and comprehensible as possible, avoiding superfluous words and clichés - from the jargon of 'commercialese' to the murky euphemisms of politicians.

In a new preface, this edition draws on an extensive private archive, previously hidden away in family cupboards and attics, to tell the story behind a book that has become an institution: the essential guide to making yourself understood.

Review:

Gowers's main precepts are as sensible today as they were when he first presented them ... beneficial, intelligent and sympathetic (David Crystal)

Rebecca Gowers has been charged with the task of producing a version which is true to the spirit of the original but adapted to the needs of the 21st century. She discharges this task with wit and delicacy (Stefan Collini Prospect)

Over half a century after Plain Words was first published, its principles are as important as ever: say what you mean in the clearest possible fashion. Rebecca Gowers has done a great job ... superb (Caroline Taggart)

One thing that makes Gowers such an engaging figure is that he isn't prissy, priggish or prim. As far as he is concerned, language is a living thing that is constantly changing - and this is just as it should be (Sunday Telegraph)

Who should read this book? Anyone who writes (Russell Davies The Oldie)

Still the best book on English and how to write it ... Unhappy with versions rewritten by others, Rebecca Gowers, Sir Ernest's great-granddaughter, has produced a new edition ... The result is splendid ... Gowers wrote with wit, humanity and common sense ... [his] central advice should be taped to the screen of anyone sitting down at a computer keyboard (Michael Skapinker Financial Times)

The book has been modernized but preserves all its original charm ... There is arguably a greater need for its circulation among the general public [than ever before] (Big Issue)

Vastly informative and indispensable (Bill Bryson)

Itself a model of how plain words should be used (Telegraph)

The zeal with which Sir Ernest uncovers error is matched only by the wit with which he chastises it (Evening Standard)

About this edition

• Publisher: Particular Books
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0141975539
• ISBN 13: 9780141975535
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320