Delivery included to the United States

Plain Words

New edition

Paperback (26 Mar 2015)

Save $0.49

  • RRP $13.84
  • $13.35
Add to basket

Includes delivery to the United States

10+ copies available online - Usually dispatched within 72 hours

free Reserve & collect

Copies available at Heffers Cambridge Trinity

Reserve in Store |  Check stock elsewhere

Publisher's Synopsis

'Be short, be simple, be human.'

When 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 humour, 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. Plain Words 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.

About the Publisher

Penguin Books

The first ten paperback Penguin books appeared in 1935 costing 6d each (the price of a packet of cigarettes). Since then the Penguin list has developed enormously, but still aims to bring the best writing to the widest possible audience. Penguin Paperbacks now range from Booker Prize-winning contemporary authors, to mass market bestsellers, with successful history, biography and general non-fiction as well.

Book information

ISBN: 9780241960349
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint: Penguin Books
Pub date:
Edition: New edition
DEWEY: 808
DEWEY edition: 23
Language: English
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 244g
Height: 199mm
Width: 129mm
Spine width: 20mm