The Ready Reference Handbook

The service for getting this book was quick and easy. The price was great also. I got the book very quickly and it was in awesome condition.

Very fast shipment, Book don't have a back cover but I knew that before ordering, I'm very satisfied with this book. Thanks

This applies to the SECOND Edition----I have always been interested in writing, grammar and the like. I purchased this book as a reference to upgrade my fading writing skills and bring them into the computer and Internet age. My last English book was from high school, long before computers and the Web. Shakespeare may still have been writing his plays back then, but my memory is a bit hazy of that time. Dr. Dodds' book brings me up to speed on the integrating the power of the web into writing and research. He does an excellant job of discussing the use of computers and their impact on the modern writer. However, as any book that tries to incorporate the internet, it is out dated the day before it is printed. The list of search engines fails to mention google.com, certainly a minor item. Perhaps the third edition? Still, I found the section on "Research and the Internet" to be very helpful. The appendix on internet resourses is very useful. Less helpful is the section on creating a web site. With only three pages devoted to that very broad topic, much was left out or skimmed over. To do this topic any justice would require its own major section. The overall style of the book is excellant. The various boxes with Computer Tips scattered through out the book are well done and helpful. The section on ESL Editing was a good discussion of the complexities and idiomatic structure of the English language as seen from the outside. To really learn English, learn another language. Overall, I enjoy the book and will keep it at my desk, both as a reference and something to randomly open up to learn/relearn some vagary of writing.