STYLIZED: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.
By Mark Garvey.
Illustrated. 208 pp.
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster.
$22.99

It was my first day of seventh grade, and there on my school supply list—along with the requisite pencils and notebooks—was a book called The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. I knew nothing of it at the time, though I was aware of E.B. White through my childhood readings of Stuart Little and Charlotte’s Web. That evening, my mother took me to the bookstore, and I read Elements cover to cover than night.

This slim volume (and, it must be said, the teacher who’d assigned it) had a significant impact not only on my growth as a budding writer, but on my very understanding and appreciation of the English language. So it was with great interest that I cracked open my review copy of Mark Garvey’s Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style.

And “slightly” obsessive it is. Garvey’s devotion to the classic is evident on every page, but it’s hardly the empty flattery of a mere fan. Indeed, his recounting of Elements’ history—as well as that of its authors—is at once scholarly and accessible. Tracing its evolution from Strunk’s privately-published 1918 grading guide, through White’s 1959 commissioned revision, and on to its subsequent life as an indispensible tool for writers, Garvey, in many ways, also traces the evolution of twentieth century American letters.

His jackpot raid of Strunk and White’s letters from the Cornell archives provides immediacy and humanity, allowing the authors’ own words to define the complex nature of their relationship, one that transcended mentor and pupil to the uncommon bond of mutual intellectual respect. Also highlighted are assorted letters containing praise, suggestions and (occasionally) condemnations from both fans and detractors, the responses to which reveal White’s extraordinary patience and deliberation and, quite often, his unique brand of wry humor.

Garvey’s love for Elements is echoed by a rich array of notable writers (including the late Frank McCourt), whose comments illustrate the impact—and the enduring influence—of Strunk and White’s “little book.”

An excellent companion to the iconic classic it celebrates, with enough substance to stand as a reference book in its own right, Stylized is a perfect holiday gift for the writer in your life.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 13th, 2009 at 1:35 pm and is filed under *William's Posts, AuthorScoop Exclusives, Writers' Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.