If you’re like me, you treasure your writing bookshelf, the volumes that have survived the onset of the Internet and stand loyally by, ready to be perused or referred to. Below are some of the titles I treasure most. Are they on your shelf? If not, they’re worth checking out.

The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers, 15th edition. Over the years, the “Chicago Manual,” as it’s commonly referred to, has become the primary reference for publishing professionals including authors, editors, indexers, proofreaders, copy editors and book designers. Open it up to a random page and you may find yourself lost for hours.

The Lively Art of Writing by Lucile Vaughan Payne. I’ve loved this book since I first devoured it when I was eleven years old. This classic, originally published in 1965, succinctly covers subjects such as choosing a subject and structuring sentences and paragraphs. This is not a book specifically about fiction writing, but all writers will find it helpful.

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. Like the Chicago Manual, this is a book that publishing professionals use as a standard. In fact, the Chicago Manual itself prefers it. (When a word has several accepted spellings, the Chicago Manual opts for the first, or preferred, spelling.)

Style: Toward Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams. Do you like rules as much as I do? Then this book is for you. It gives concrete advice on improving every aspect of your writing, from macro considerations such as “sequencers” and “topicalizers” (words, phrases and sentences that lead your reader through your text) to the nitty-gritty of the sentences’ structure and word order. Like The Lively Art of Writing, this is a book for all kinds of writers, not just novelists.

If any of these books is missing from your writer’s bookshelf, consider purchasing it or adding it to your holiday wish list.

What are your favorites?

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