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Great writers are great readers.As Susan Sontag said, “Reading usually precedes
writing and the impulse to write is almost always fired by reading. Reading, the love of reading, is what makes you dream
of becoming a writer.” Here are our recommendations of a few essential classics—some are about the craft of writing
while others exhibit great writing. Each will help you gain the power to arrest readers with your words. If you have a favorite
book about writing or a treasured volume, e-mail us with your suggestions for The Writer’s Shelf.
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William Zinsser:
On
Writing Well
The nonfiction writer’s Bible. Zinsser
is worth worshipping—his book provides the tools for writing well, and he leads by example.
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Gay Talese:
A
Writer's Life
To be a writer, you must live a writer’s
life. The nonfiction master’s life will inspire you to do just that.
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Truman Capote:
In
Cold Blood
Capote transformed the importance of the nonfiction
genre. Read with a discerning eye and understand the craft of telling real stories.
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George Orwell:
Nineteen
Eighty-Four
Once upon a time, this seemed like a nightmare.
Read it today—and it’s a wake up call!
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Charles Bukowski:
Sifting
Through the
Madness for the Word,
the Line, the Way
So
you want to be a writer?
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Robert S.
Boynton:
The New New
Journalism
The best writers
today are working in nonfiction. Don’t believe it? This book will change your mind.
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Hunter S.
Thompson:
Fear and Loathing
in Las Vegas
The original
“gonzo” journalist, Thompson called it as he saw it. Raw, uncompromising, even brutal, this book is a reminder
of the power of individual style.
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Richard Whalen:
Shakespeare--
Who
Was He?
A model of explanatory journalism and persuasive
writing, Whalen’s work convincingly details why one unknown writer—the real Shakespeare—deserves a hefty dose
of long-overdue credit.
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Lester Bangs:
Psychotic
Reactions
and Carburetor Dung
Lester Bangs was the first—and
best—serious critic of Rock N’ Roll, translating its searing guitar licks and pounding backbeat into an inimitable prose.
This book collects his best.
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Gay Talese:
The
Gay Talese
Reader
Gay Talese is the Dean of non-fiction
writers. This selection of his work re-affirms his place in the pantheon of great writers.
Anne Lamott:
Bird
by Bird
A [writing] book about [the writing] life. Charming,
disarming.
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William Strunk
and
E.B. White:
The Elements of Style
Strunk and White taught
a generation of writers how to write. Now it’s your turn.
Sarah Jane
Sloan:
The I Ching for Writers
An age-old method of
seeking advice and wisdom, a natural remedy for writers in need of ideas and inspiration.
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Writer's
Market
(annual)
Answers the burning question in every
writer’s mind: Who’s buying?
Amiri Baraka:
The
LeRoi Jones/
Amiri Baraka Reader
Newark’s Amiri
Baraka is not for everyone. He’s radical, caustic, and defiant. And an amazing prose stylist.
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