A DICTIONARY OF USAGE AND STYLE

Mr. Copperud's dictionary is like Samuel Johnson's; the virtues override the flaws. He brings a disdainful wit to the definitions of some works and his minute lectures on usage are often as entertaining as they are instructive. He is very sensitive to words and shades of meaning. On such matters as redundancy ad lingo, or cliches in journalese his disquisitions read as though written with a barely suppressed shudder. No dictionary of this kind can ever be complete. This represents an attempt to cover the commonest, most bothersome words, phrases and punctuation rules. Many of the remarks are addressed to newspaper reporters and editors, who will probably make up the primary market for this book. (Mr. Copperud's column in Editor & Publisher magazine is devoted to style and usage.) Teachers, writers, or anyone concerned with clear writing will find the book a source of solid information and browsing pleasure. The book will have 480 pages. Everything covered is alphabetically entered with cross references.