"The late Lasch, college history professor and the author of The Culture of Narcissism (1979), among other seminal works, so despaired of his graduate students' writing that he began to compile a list of common compositional errors. This list soon evolved into a full-fledged writing guide. . . . Lasch's wry, distinctive voice is evident throughout."-Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist

Christopher Lasch (1932-1994) was Professor of History at the University of Rochester. Among his many books are The Culture of Narcissism, The Minimal Self, The True and Only Heaven, and Haven in a Heartless World. Stewart Weaver is Professor of History at the University of Rochester.

Introduction: Christopher Lasch and the Politics of the Plain Style
A Note on the Text
I Elementary Principles of Literary Construction
II Conventions Governing Punctuation, Capitalization, Typography, and Footnotes
III Characteristics of Bad Writing
IV Words Often Misused
V Words Often Mispronounced
VI Proofreaders' Marks
Index