Writer's Library: Must have reference books

tinapickles · Jun 14, 2010

I searched the forums, and didn't (or couldn't) find a thread about this particular topic.

I've noticed of late, as I've been tooling around the SYW form, that a lot of people (myself included) have advised others to invest in grammar books, books on basic writing skills, etc.

I think this is pretty good advice, reference books are ALWAYS a handy thing! So what books do you all have in your library? And/Or do you subscribe to any helpful websites?

I have a copies of the following, myself:

Strunk & White (tho take what they advise with a grain a salt, some of it has become out dated)
MLA Handbook--in addition to technical writing how-to, the Diana Hacker MLA handbook has an extensive grammar section
Making Shapely Fiction--provides definitions of nearly every literary device you can possibly think of
Grammar Girl (www.grammarquickanddirtytips.com) She's got a wry sense of humor and a very easy way of explaining grammar tidbits
The Screenwriter's Bible--helpful in regards to formatting
Screenplay: The foundations of Screenwriting

Terie · Jun 14, 2010

This thread over in Grammar and Syntax was on a slightly different topic but mentions a number of reference books.

The main thing I notice missing from your list is a dictionary. I don't understand how any writer can work without a dictionary close at hand.

A dictionary (and a good one, not just any ol' thing labelled 'Webster's' that you pick up at a remainder shop), a basic grammar reference (jr high grammar textbooks are great for this), and a thesaurus are, to me, the minimum. Beyond that, it depends on a writer's current knowledge base, experience, and the kind(s) of writing they're doing.

tinapickles · Jun 14, 2010

Terie said:
This thread over in Grammar and Syntax was on a slightly different topic but mentions a number of reference books.

The main thing I notice missing from your list is a dictionary. I don't understand how any writer can work without a dictionary close at hand.

A dictionary (and a good one, not just any ol' thing labelled 'Webster's' that you pick up at a remainder shop), a basic grammar reference (jr high grammar textbooks are great for this), and a thesaurus are, to me, the minimum. Beyond that, it depends on a writer's current knowledge base, experience, and the kind(s) of writing they're doing.

Ah yes... the dictionary/thesaurus. :hooray:

I do own at least one of those... and it's heafty. I also find www.dictionary.com and www.thesaurus.com helpful.

alleycat · Jun 14, 2010

I think having a small or paperback book on grammar is handy. You can keep it nearby rather than having to go get one of those five-pound reference books off the shelf.

I use Essential English Grammar by Philip Gucker for the purpose. It's like five or six dollar on Amazon.

KTC · Jun 14, 2010

I have Strunk & White but I hardly look at it. I have no other reference books. I do not own a dictionary or a thesaurus.

alleycat · Jun 14, 2010

KTC said:
I have Strunk & White but I hardly look at it. I have no other referance books. I do not own a dictionery or a thesaures.

This is the way you should have written that. ;-)

KTC · Jun 14, 2010

alleycat said:
This is the way you should have written that. ;-)

Originally Posted by KTC
I have Strunk & White but I hardly look at it. I have no other referance books. I do not own a dictionery or a thesaures.

I see that reference book is working out for you.

Libbie · Jun 14, 2010

I don't use reference books, either (although I do own a battered old copy of Roget's 5th -- it was a Christmas gift from my family when I was 13 and I love it). I write on my laptop anyway -- it's more convenient to look up any reference needs online.

But I do refer often to Grammar Girl, to dictionary.com, and occasionally to thesaurus.com.

and I have read Lynne Truss's books on punctuation and grammar. They are fun and awesome.

Kalyke · Jun 14, 2010

I consider reference books more than just language reference. They are just those books I look into constantly to find information for the things I write. For example various bird books, tree books, foreign language dictionaries, astronomy, how-to books, maps, writing books (writer's digest books for instance), books on rhetoric, literary terms, slang, specialized dictionaries, style guides, thesauruses (the Rodale Synonym Finder is a favorite). The Internet is my most important reference source.

Sunnyside · Jun 14, 2010

I keep within arm's reach a couple of "old school" reference books:

- The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (2 volumes, instead of a jillion)
- Roget's Thesaurus
- Bartlett's Book of Quotations
- The Chicago Manual of Style

I've got lots of others I use, but those are the ones I always keep within reach.

Ineti · Jun 14, 2010

I've started a list on my blog of the books I read and re-read a lot. I'd love it if people had suggestions for other useful references beyond the standard dictionaries and the like.

Phaeal · Jun 15, 2010

The Internet has become my all-inclusive reference book. Coming from the days when looking up one fact might require a trip to the library, I worship this resource.

But even when I'm sitting at the computer, I'll often grab my trusty Webster's to look up a word. The threadbare dictionary is an old friend who shouldn't be neglected.

Currently my reference shelves are groaning with books about 17th century Massachusetts, with an emphasis on the Puritan ministry. Once I've researched and written that pending WIP, a new set of in-depth references will take their place.

The craft book that is always nearby, for inspiration as well as reference, is Thomas McCormack's The Fiction Editor, the Novel and the Novelist. I've about read it to death and need a new copy. And Christopher Derrick's Reader's Report (The Writing of Novels in the American edition), which I only have in a much coffee-stained photocopied version. Must hunt an "official" copy down.

virtue_summer · Jun 15, 2010

I love reference books. I didn't used to but I've come to appreciate them so much as time has gone on. My birthday's coming up soon and I treated myself to the Random House Word Menu as an early present to myself. Am I strange? Anyway, the references I always have on hand:

Dictionary. I have these two:
American Heritage College Dictionary
Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (this one has a handy punctuation reference at the end)

Thesaurus (used most often when I can't quite remember the word I want to use but can think of words that are close)
The Synonym Finder

Grammar Review (this one's fun to read):
Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale

Story Structure:
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

Then there's the internet, fantastic when it comes to researching all sorts of things.

Writer's Library: Must have reference books

tinapickles

::Head against desk::

Terie

Writer is as Writer does

tinapickles

::Head against desk::

alleycat

Still around

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

alleycat

Still around

KTC

Stand in the Place Where You Live

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

Kalyke

Sunnyside

Ineti

Purveyor of Prose

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

virtue_summer

Always learning