The books I recommend here are not sacred texts, but they are good guides. Each performs a noble service: they protect the structure of thought and remind us that language is not a toy but a tool.
Reading your Substack is killing my budget but enlightening my mind! 😆 Thanks for the suggestions. I had already bought and started both The Art of Being Human and Socrates’ Children and now I have all these to read as well!
Now I am nervous. Abandoning colons and dashes, I will keep my sentences short. One thing I love about your writing is the rhythm. I never feel your sentences run on. I’m heading for the bar, however, because your bar is set too high for me. Thank you.
Joe Moran’s book is my favourite on your list by a fair distance. I’d also recommend Brian Dillon’s Suppose A Sentence https://amzn.to/3RUmrat
I love that you included “Eats, Shoots and Leaves!”
Reading your Substack is killing my budget but enlightening my mind! 😆 Thanks for the suggestions. I had already bought and started both The Art of Being Human and Socrates’ Children and now I have all these to read as well!
I am also devoted to Garner’s Modern English Usage by Bryan Garner praised so well by Michel Lewis in his podcast.
Thank you!
Great list.
Now I am nervous. Abandoning colons and dashes, I will keep my sentences short. One thing I love about your writing is the rhythm. I never feel your sentences run on. I’m heading for the bar, however, because your bar is set too high for me. Thank you.