The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

I am currently keen to improve the clarity of my writing, without becoming a linguistics researcher. This book couldn't have come at a better time. Pinker provides a really helpful contemporary commentary: on basic issues for writers to consider for clear communication. I found his core chapters particularly enlightening (chapters 2-5). They seem to give a reasonably representative set of ideas for inexperienced writers to try out, practice, and adapt. One odd point however, was Pinker's frequent usage of somewhat obscure terms in his explanations. For a book on clear communication, the level of 'light jargon' was surprising high for me. I did learn a number of new interesting words however :) For many reasons, I would highly recommend this book as a rich resource to go to, and come back to in the future. For fellow travelers in the ongoing journey towards clear, strong, and beautiful prose.

I picked this book up after watching a lecture Pinker gave at the Royal Institute on Youtube. This is the first style guide I have ever read, and Steven did a wonderful job of showing me how to think more critically about my writing.