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Choosing a textbook for a course in which students write extensively can be problematic. After all, writing is a skill and, like most skills, it’s best learned through repeated practice. It’s tough, if not impossible, to learn to write simply by reading a textbook. Instructors need to be sure that the book reading they assign is merely a supplement to the real work of a writing course: planning, composing, and revising student’s own texts.
There are times, though, when instructors will feel grateful for the reinforcement offered by a clear and straightforward textbook on writing. Such books can be useful in providing students a variety of models to emulate, in explaining grammar or documentation rules, or in illustrating different document formats.
The other problem with choosing a textbook is the number of choices. Writing textbooks fall into several main categories. Below is a list of some well-known examples of each; the list merely scratches the surface. Asking colleagues about their experiences in using different books is an excellent way to wade through the sometimes overwhelming number of possibilities. We’d like to hear about your experiences in using textbooks for W courses. Email your opinions to Dr. Valerie Balester, Executive Director of the Writing Center at v-balester@tamu.edu.
Handbooks
Writing handbooks are typically large (often 700 pages or more) and cover all aspects of the writing process, including narrowing a topic, analyzing an audience, organizing research materials, revising for clarity, proofreading for errors, and documenting sources. Most include a brief grammar review and discuss common surface errors. Most are written for use in introductory composition courses. Many publishers offer an instructor’s version and some produce an abbreviated version in addition to the full-blown offering.
The St. Martin’s Handbook, Sixth Edition by Andrea Lunsford (6th edition)
Of all the comprehensive handbooks, this one is a favorite in the University Writing Center. It’s thorough, accessible, and based on research about the needs of beginning writers. Although author Lunsford is known for her research on common student surface errors, the book moves far beyond that to discuss more complex topics like using language to build common ground. There’s also information on intercultural communication and insights into academic writing in the U.S.—information particularly useful to international students.
The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing by John D. Ramage, John C. Bean and June Johnson
Written by well-known names in the world of composition, this text emphasizes problem-solving in writing. The authors discuss how to change a reader’s mind and how to create writing that surprises an audience—a welcome idea to professors who’ve read far too many predictable student papers. This comprehensive book also offers strategies for giving oral reports and writing essay exams. There’s also a concise edition that runs about 400 pages. SF Writer, Fourth Edition by John Ruszkiewicz, Daniel Seward, and Maxine Hairston (4th edition)
This 611 page spiral bound text is quite authoritative and attractive visually. It includes the major topics: research, writing process, documentation in MLA, APA, CMS, and CSE, as well as a good section on avoiding plagiarism through a thorough research process. The Writers at Work sections throughout the book gives readers a good idea of the writing process. The Prentice Hall Reference Guide, Sixth Edition by Muriel Harris (6th edition)
This is a writing center in a handy book, spiral bound with 605 pages that cover grammar, usage, mechanics, and documentation in MLA, APA CMS, CSE, and COS. The revising Sentence section is especially helpful for working on grammar problems. Abbreviated Handbooks These truncated versions of full-blown composition handbooks can be good choices for a W course, since they typically cover much of the necessary information on scholarly writing and give a brief introduction to documentation styles, as well. Their shorter format may make them seem more accessible to students. They’re also typically less expensive.
The Brief Penguin Handbook, Second Edition by Lester Faigley (2nd edition) This spiral-bound text runs about 600 pages and features tabbed dividers for easy reference. It is particularly strong on document design and visuals. In addition to the basic grammar review, there’s information about how to read critically, as well as sections on “writing to reflect,” “writing to inform,” and “writing to persuade.” This book also includes introductions to the basics of documentation according to MLA, APA, CMS, and CSE and a section for students whose first language is not English.
The Everyday Writer by Andrea Lunsford
Again, much of the text in this useful guide by Andrea Lunsford is a standard review of grammar and punctuation. But there are also sections on more subtle aspects of how to write persuasively and effectively, as well as information on design and writing online. Brief mention is also given to oral presentations and writing in professional settings. The book includes overviews of MLA, APA, CBE and Chicago documentation styles and presents an almanac of information from a variety of disciplines to help students jump-start their research.
Pocket Guides
This category includes handy reference texts useful for looking up grammar rules you can’t quite remember. These books don’t claim to be comprehensive; a student who’s truly baffled by dangling modifiers, for instance, may need more explanation than the two or three examples typically offered by this kind of text. Nevertheless, a book of this sort can be very useful for students who already have some of the basics under their belts. Pocket guides are typically spiral-bound and feature tabs for handy reference.
The Longman Pocket Writer's Companion by Chris Anson, Robert Schwegler, and Marcia Muth
This literally fits into a pocket, although it is 265 pages long. With an emphasis on research, it includes the major documentation styles (MLA, APA, CMA, and CSE) as well as sections on grammar, punctuation, and clarity. The Easy Writer by Andrea Lunsford
Lunsford’s entry in this category makes use of her extensive research into student writing: the front cover folds out to reveal a list of the “twenty most common errors.” Listing them doesn’t mean students will stop making them, but it does reflect Lunsford’s desire to provide highly useful information in a way students will find easily accessible. This 300-page guide also offers an almanac listing web references that would be likely starting points for students researching in a variety of disciplines. For instance, a business student will find an explanation of the index of leading economic indicators, as well as the URLs for the World Trade Organization and the Federal Reserve Board.
A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker
This brief guide’s first page is a “menu” of its contents, which include both basic grammar reviews and help on choosing a paper topic. There’s also a more detailed menu on the last page and a special menu for multilingual writers, in addition to a comprehensive index. This is a book designed to be kept in reach whenever you’re writing; it’s the kind of quick reference guide that provides information that’s both easy to locate and easy to understand. One unique feature of newer editions of A Writer’s Reference is information on the capabilities and limitations of computer grammar checkers.
Style Guides
Style guides focus on helping writers create more effective sentences and paragraphs. They typically include advice on things like avoiding the passive voice, using direct verbs, and eliminating wordiness. They can be eye-opening to students who only think of sentences as correct or incorrect, rather than effective or ineffective. But style guides won’t provide advice on documentation, formatting, or research and some may be overwhelming to inexperienced authors.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, E.B. White, and Roger Angell
This is a much-loved classic. It’s a tiny book, originally written by an English professor at Cornell and later revised and augmented by E.B. White, the professor’s famous student. The style of the book itself is admirable—concise, direct, and graceful—but the book is of limited usefulness to most writing students. It omits more than it covers and, because it was first published in the 1930s, can at times seem antiquated, albeit charmingly so.
Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams A much more thorough guide to issues of style, this book can teach all of us something about how to craft graceful sentences. Williams’ book will help you understand what’s gone wrong in those awkward sentences in your students’ (and, yes, perhaps your own) writing. It’s a challenging book, though, and may intimidate beginning writers.
On Writing Well 25th Anniversary: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser This is a favorite book of writing advice among professional and aspiring writers. Zinsser champions writing that is concise and direct and suggests writers read their work aloud. Some of his suggestions, however, such as assuming that your reader knows nothing about your topic, don’t apply to every situation.
Revising Prose by Richard A. Lanham As the title of this book suggests, the author’s focus is on helping writers improve what’s already on the page. Lanham has developed what he calls “the paramedic method” for revising prose. Writers are asked to follow 8 basic directions when revising a sentence. While some of Lanham’s suggestions, including his preference for direct action verbs, are useful, his concern with sentence rhythm may seem esoteric to some. Likewise, because he’s focused on sentence-level revision, big issues like audience and purpose are likely to be overlooked. There are many samples of effective sentence revisions, though, which can be genuinely illuminating to students who underestimate the power of rewriting.
Writing in the Disciplines
These volumes are similar to the more general handbooks but focus on a particular discipline. They can be excellent choices for W courses, particularly in disciplines that require a more technical approach.
Pocket Guide to APA Style by Robert Perrin
This 150-page spiral-bound book begins with a brief section on “writing scholarly papers,” before moving on to the nuts and bolts of APA style. Here students will find explanations on headings and font sizes and preferred APA capitalizations, but there’s also more general information such as tips on avoiding both biased language and technical jargon. Revising Business Prose by Richard Lanham This book has much in common with Lanham’s more general work Revising Prose, but his continued focus on bringing clarity and brevity to writing seem especially apt for business communicators. Lanham takes aim at what he calls “the Official Style,” the kind of bloated, self-important prose so dominant in the professional world. Again using his “paramedic method” of revising sentences, Lanham offers plenty of examples of the kind of prose that badly needs revision and shows how a few focused changes can have a big impact.
M.I.T. Guide to Science and Engineering Communication, Second Edition by James G. Paradis and Muriel L. Zimmerman
A well-respected and thorough guide to the subject, the MIT Guide covers many of the same topics as any other handbook: defining an audience, organizing information, revising for clarity. Where it differs is that, in addition to written communication, it explores oral, graphic, and electronic communication in the belief that all four are intrinsically related and valuable. Readers will find useful advice on giving oral presentations and designing documents.
Technical Communication by Mike Markel A reference often used in the University Writing Center, this book covers the basics of developing both written and visual information in professional settings. There’s also a section on the ethical and legal issues of technical writing as well as another on developing websites.
A Short Guide to Writing about ...
A series of books by Longman Publishing about writing in various disciplines. The one on Biology, for example, encourages students to think like biologists and offers help with evaluating sources, incorporating statistics, and crafting concise and logical written documents. Volumes in the series include: Biology Chemistry Film History Literature Music Science Social Science
Writing in the Sciences by Ann Penrose and Steven Katz
This is a multi-disciplinary book that gives examples of different kinds of writing in the sciences and finds the commonalities among them. Students are offered a variety of examples of writing from different scientific disciplines.
Custom Publishing
Finally, if none of these options seem quite right, consider having a customized textbook published specifically for your class. Many companies offer this service, with some creating traditional hard-bound books and others offering electronic texts. By creating a customized textbook, you have the option of including not only writing help—such as grammar basics and advice on revision—but also readings, case studies, sample papers, and lecture notes. You can also limit information on documentation to the specific citation style preferred in your discipline. Of course, in order to incorporate material from other books or periodicals, you’ll need to obtain permission from the publisher. Companies that offer custom publishing can guide you though the process, although the quality of the service varies. Be sure to view samples of the company’s previous efforts and keep in mind the final cost of the book to your students. |
Classroom Management 
