WHAT TO SAY. . . HOW TO SAY IT: Improving Your Image by Mails, on the Phone, in Person

An odd admixture of communication techniques--from sales letters, to negotiating tactics, to the etiquette of social invitations. This sampling is more hit-or-miss than complete, however, and with the weight of the treatment overwhelmingly on the side of business communication, such a handbook will probably be most at home on the how-to-succeed shelf. Still, even within that realm, its degree of usefulness varies: anyone interested primarily in resumes will find the samples here rather stilted and unoriginal in approach, while someone planning a direct-mail campaign for the first time will get plenty of ideas for lead-ins, psychological appeals, follow-ups, etc. Since the editors are most at home in compiling examples from the communications of companies as varied as Xerox and Playboy (sales letters, memos, complaint handling, etc.), there is a decided preference for written communication, rather than telephone or interpersonal skills; this even goes so far as to assume that asking for or denying a raise is a purely written proposition. In sum, quirky, uneven, and more limited in appeal than its title would suggest.