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Permalink Reply by Sharon Cousins on March 28, 2010 at 2:43pm

I do a lot of referencing online these days, but I do use books too. Out in my trailer-turned-studio, I've got an American Heritage Dicitonary, a two-volume Funk & Wagnall's Desk Dictionary, and the reassurance that if all else fails on the dictionary front, our roommate has an OED in house (especially useful sometimes if I want to get the historical breakdown of the word). I also have the 15th Edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, though I haven't used it too much yet, but it's nice to know it's there. Same with Bartlett's. I have a Roget's, too, if my onboard thesaurus lets me down, and a Random House Handbook, Strunk and White, a couple of rhyming dictionaries, and The Careful Writer—A Modern Guide to English Usage. Most of my reference books come, of necessity, from yard sales and used book stores (TCMoS was a Christmas present, brand new). And while it is really more of a workshop-in-a-book than a reference book, I do also reference Susan Tiberghian's book One Year to a Writing Life - Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer's Art and Craft sometimes, to go back over whatever the particular area in question (personal essay, for example) involves. I think that is the best broad-spectrum writing skills book on the planet.

Mostly though, I need to reference facts and ides rather than writing mechanics (it does help that my husband has a degree in English Lit from University of Chicago, so there are little niggly things I'll ask him about sometimes instead of looking them up). For what I am doing—primarily writing planet-based science fiction—the important reference books are more likely to be books on weather (in one of my series worlds, changeable weather is such a strong presence it is almost a character), geography, survival (urban and rural), history and civilizations, anatomy, animals... that side of my reference library is a marvelous and eclectic hodge-podge of lucky finds.

Hope that helps and hope you get some more responses.

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Permalink Reply by Sharon Cousins on March 28, 2010 at 4:24pm

"ides" in the second paragraph was supposed to be "ideas". One of those darn spill-chucker errors...;)

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Permalink Reply by Heather Leighton on March 28, 2010 at 3:18pm

As a translator by day, I always obsess about the exact meaning of words, so I always have the Canadian Oxford dictionary handy. Although not the clearest definitions, this dictionary suits my employer and me in terms of spelling and other picky conventions. When the meaning still isn't crystal clear, I often use google and enter "define: word," and this will give me numerous definitions across the web. I'm also a little obsessed with writing idiomatic English, so that using the wrong preposition doesn't stop my reader or interrupt the flow of my sentence. For idiomatic writing, I find that the Oxford Collocations dictionary is indispensable.

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Permalink Reply by Lena Sledge on March 30, 2010 at 4:10pm

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White

Stein on Writing by Sol Stein.

Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss.

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Permalink Reply by Cynthia Morris on March 30, 2010 at 4:23pm

I'm currently nurturing a love affair with the American Oxford Writer's Thesaurus. Who knew a thesaurus could be so sassy and useful at the same time?
A must-have for any word geek.

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Permalink Reply by Sandi Johnson on April 9, 2010 at 7:18am

Thank you so much guys. I went to Barnes & Nobles the other day. I swear when I'm old & gray and in need of a nursing home? I just want someone to park my wheelchair in a bookstore. I love the smell of books and coffee. It's intoxicating for a coffee-addicted bibliophile. lol.

I was drooling over a set of leather-bound reference books. Actually, I was drooling over a couple of leather-bound sets. But, since I was already spending $150 on books for my son, I opted for paperback copies of Websters - the same dictionary and thesaurus I've had on my shelf since I was in college. I'd LOVE to have the leather-bound versions Oxford and American Heritage. Can you tell I have a thing for leather bindings? lol.

I have copies of Struck & White's The Elements of Style, as well as On Writing Well by Zinsser. I've had copies of those since long before I ever wrote professionally - I think even before college.

I've heard of Eats, Shoots, and Leaves - but I've never read it. I might have to pick up a copy.

I think I might also pick up a copy of The Careful Writer and One Year to a Writing Life. Those also sound like they might be interesting.

Thank you, ladies, for all your helpful suggestions.

One more question. I have several books on style - Little Brown Handbook, a few on APA and Chicago Style - but they're geared more towards writing college papers or business white papers. Any recommendations on style guide books specifically for writers? I'd like to grow that spectrum of my reference shelf. I've looked at a few, but I'm curious about others' recommendations. It's always nice to have a non-electronic reference when you need to know specifics - especially if/when you need to cite a reputable source.

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