{"product_id":"plain-words-a-guide-to-the-use-of-english-9780241960349","title":"Plain Words: A Guide to the Use of English","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn print since 1948, this style guide has been loved and endorsed throughout the decades by the likes of Bill Bryson, Lynne Truss, David Crystal, Harold Evans, and Winston Churchill\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Be short, be simple, be human.\" \u003c\/i\u003eWhen Sir Ernest Gowers first wrote Plain Words, it was intended simply as a guide to the proper use of English for the Civil Service. Within a year, however, its humor, charm, and authority had made it a bestseller. Since then it has never been out of print. Six decades on, writer Rebecca Gowers has created a new edition of this now-classic work that both revises and celebrates her great-grandfather's original. \u003ci\u003ePlain Words\u003c\/i\u003e has been updated to reflect numerous changes in English usage, yet Sir Ernest's distinctive, witty voice is undimmed. And his message remains vital: our writing should be as clear and comprehensible as possible, avoiding superfluous words and clichés--from the jargon of \"commercialese\" to the murky euphemisms of politicians. In a new preface, this edition draws on an extensive private archive, previously hidden away in family cupboards and attics, to tell the story behind a book that has become an institution: the essential guide to making yourself understood.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSir Ernest Gowers\u003c\/b\u003e (1880-1966) was a leading civil servant who ran the civil defense of London during World War II and is best remembered for \u003ci\u003ePlain Words\u003c\/i\u003e, and for being the first editor of H. W. Fowler's classic \u003ci\u003eDictionary of Modern English Usage\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cb\u003e Rebecca Gowers\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Swamp of Death\u003c\/i\u003e, shortlisted for the CWA non-fiction Golden Dagger Award, and of two novels, \u003ci\u003eWhen to Walk\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Twisted Heart\u003c\/i\u003e, both longlisted for the Orange Prize.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50533630542098,"sku":"9780241960349","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c3a7b915-e993-43ec-acd3-f2f73363f72f.jpg?v=1731407124","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/plain-words-a-guide-to-the-use-of-english-9780241960349","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}