SIMPLE AND DIRECT is anything but. ( )

SIMPLE AND DIRECT is anything but. ( )

"Mentioned in a blog. I enjoy books about writing, and as this is written by a nonfiction writer it will give a different perspective."

This introduction to the 'simple and direct' writing style from the legendary scholar Jacques Barzun (Wait! According to Barzun, I've misused 'legendary' -- I should say 'the famous, highly-regarded scholar'!) is frequently delightful, and always helpful.

Barzun's own style isn't really simple and direct, at least not in the sense I understand the phrase, i.e. punchy and tight: he is elegant, if never ornate.

But his advice to writers is valuable. Its essence is expressed well late in the book:

"All thought, like all writing, is discrimination--separating ideas and, by means of a word, assigning to each the feature that matters in the present case."

A more accurate title for the book might have been 'The Right Word at the Right Time', since calling things by their right names is Barzun's passion.

Although he organizes the book conventionally -- e.g. with chapters on 'Diction', 'Linking', 'Tone and Tune', 'Meaning', 'Composition' and 'Revision', in his instructions and especially in his examples he returns nearly every time to 'getting the words right'. He simply cannot restrain himself, no matter the subject at hand, from listing out and denouncing solecisms and ambiguities in contemporary usage.

The book features little exercises in each chapter, but they are illustrative, not necessary.

Simple and Direct is not for everyone, but it is of much use to practicing writers and editors, and is highly recommended for them. ( )

Pros: different perspective than most writing books; focus on logic thinking; practical and useful; thought-provoking; very good writing
Cons: none (the writing is a bit hard on criticism but I like it) ( )