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Subject:Style Guides and the rest of my library From:Kim Keegan <keegan -at- EXPLORERS -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 17 Apr 1997 14:04:18 -0400
Fellow List Members:
You've convinced me.
I just couldn't take it anymore! At lunch today I went to the bookstore
and bought both "Read Me First - A Style Guide for the Computer
Industry" and "The Microsoft Manual of Style". I've been considering
them both for some time now. Each looks to be beneficial to me for
different reasons.
I also bought Horton's "Designing and Writing Online Documentation", in
anticipation of future projects (our systems are DOS-based now but we
might be doing some in Windows soon...). I've seen this one recommended
many times on this list too. These three get added to the shelf next to
the books I've had for awhile now: Hackos' "Managing Your Documentation
Projects" and Rubens' "Science and Technical Writing - A Manual of
Style."
So, to respond to another poster's request for what books we keep in our
libraries, my list would include the five aforementioned books. I also
have my college tech writing course textbooks, plus the ol' dictionary
and thesaurus. Then there's the HTML 3.2 guide and a JavaScript book.
Of course, since I work for a software and data services company, my
personal library choices might be different for a writer not in the
computer field.
Thanks to all. Many others have asked for advice on style guides and
other "important" books in the past year that I have subscribed to this
list. I have paid close attention, and the recommendations of the list
members have been very influential. Influential enough to make me spend
over US$80 on books today! B^)
Have a good day (even though it's snowing [!] here in Dayton, OH today)!
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