On Writing, Editing, and Publishing: Essays, Explicative and Hortatory

by Jacques Barzun

Book by

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Writing

148 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Works of French-American educator, author, and historian Jacques Martin Barzun include Darwin, Marx, Wagner (see Charles Robert Darwin, Karl Marx, and Richard Wagner) (1941) and The American University (1968).

He presented ideas and culture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques...

Reviews

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll save you the trouble of reading On Writing, Editing, and Publishing by quoting its best sentiment here:

"...to be a writer and not a hack, you must clear your mind of cant and allow multitudinous messages to come to you from the souls of your fellowmen. They are the secret source of your abundant ideas. People do not know what they communicate; yet it is they whom you 'read,' consciously and unconsciously, and whom you interpret to themselves, in stories, poems, plays, or works of social and moral philosophy."

Now that that's out of the way. My mom lent this book to me years ago, and I finally got around to reading it yesterday. It's a collection of essays written from the '50s to the '80s, covering topics as diverse as book publishing, Abraham Lincoln's writing style, and the decline of "he" and "him" as gender-inclusive pronouns--which Barzun laments, in his second least effective essay (after the one where he points out, for 15 pages, the minute failings in a large bibliography of mystery stories).

There are a few good points in this book (some comments on the publishing industry and the writer/editor relationship had me nodding along; they're historically interesting and still apt today), but for the most part it's dragged down by the author's excessively cranky and condescending tone. On Writing... reads like a lecture from your pretentious grandfather. It's a relic of a time when a particular kind of ornery, self-satisfied style in an intellectual wasn't just accepted, but cultivated. For a book that purports to expound timeless principles for clear writing and thought, it's damningly dated.

[Alex Wexelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Jacques Barzun's playful voice, but he often drones on about matters that don't matter anymore. This book was, unfortunately, outdated. Many of these previously published essays are half a century old and don't reflect the publishing industry as it stands today. It's not Barzun's fault that he wrote what he knew when it was current. But its practical advice is moldy and suffers as a result.

[Mysteryfan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slim collection of essays ranges from the 1940s to the mid-80s. His style reminded me a lot of William Buckley or William Safire. He has that same enjoyment of polysyllabic words while preaching plain language. He makes some excellent points in his essay "English as She Is Not Taught" on that subject. I also enjoyed his essay on the discipline needed to be a writer.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good.

[Mynameisandycostello · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most valuable reading experiences I've had as a young writer. Barzun explains how to write with clarity, and leads by example.

[Robert Hult · Rating 4 out of 5]

A condensed version of modern publishing, which tends to change now and again.