On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well as the insights of a distinguished writer and teacher. With more than a million copies sold, this volume has stood the test of time and remains a valuable resource for writers and would-be writers.
William Zinsser Books
William Zinsser was an American writer, editor, and literary critic whose career began in journalism. He worked as an editor for the New York Herald Tribune, covering a wide range of topics from theater to film. His writing is valued for its clarity and insight. Zinsser also dedicated himself to teaching writing, influencing generations of students with his emphasis on intelligibility and linguistic precision. His works often explore the essence of communication and the beauty of the well-crafted word.






William Zinsser's classic bestseller, On Writing Well, has inspired three generations of writers, journalists and students. In Writing Places, he delightfully recalls the many colorful and amusing locations where he has worked and taught. Written with humor and with gratitude for a lifetime of change and self-discovery, relishing a rich cast of characters who peopled his world—from Yale's president Kingman Brewster to actor Peter Sellers to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson—Writing Places never loses its anchor in the craft of writing: how it's taught, learned and brought to a high level of enjoyment.
On Writing Well
- 308 pages
- 11 hours of reading
Warns against common errors in structure, style, and diction, and explains the fundamentals of conducting interviews and writing travel, scientific, sports, critical, and humorous articles.
American Places
- 193 pages
- 7 hours of reading
Setting out in the spring of 1990 'to look for America', when patriotic travel was suddenly back in fashion, William Zinsser made first-time pilgrimages to some of America's most cherished and visited historic sites: Mount Rushmore, Rockefeller Center, Yellowstone National Park, Pearl Harbor, even the "corny and obvious" Niagara Falls. At these and his other iconic destinations, Zinsser unlearned clichéd assumptions and rediscovered fundamental truths about America. Originally published in 1992, AMERICAN PLACES and the ideals that Zinsser discovers these places represent will never go out of fashion.
This is an essential book for everyone who wants to write clearly about any subject and use writing as a means of learning.