The Writer's Handbook

by A.S. Burack

Hardback book with dust jacket titled THE WRITER'S HANDBOOK. Edited by A.S.Burack. (1980) - (LL-16)

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing, Reference

819 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Matthew]

The various vignettes and chapter advice essays were well thought out and inciteful. Most of the advice found within these pages is advice you will find on any author's FAQ page, or advice for future writer's page. So you can imagine there is enough repetition of: Read a lot, write a lot, finish what you start etc. etc.

Some of the particulars in this edition are outdated (numbers, monetary information). The themes are old (authors tell you to type it out on your typewriter (it's quite interesting because we tend to view them as archaic machinations, yet that was how things were done --for the record I have, and write occasionally with a typewriter; I'm not bashing them). Some of the references made were a little hard to grasp for someone who has not extensively studied pre-80's culture.

Overall, if you're looking for a writer's prep book, you cannot go wrong with this. I just can't imagine how you'd get it, unless you stumble upon it in a flea-market, at a used bookstore, or borrowed it from an older friend.

[Robert Jr.]

This book was interesting in that it had most of the typical recommendations for writers type advice you see in current writing blogs. However, it also had some sage advice in certain areas you don't (at least I don't) hear so often. In particular I would point you to Chapters 2, 4, 6, 8, 13, 14, 17, 21, 28, 29, 31, 33-35, 40, and the intro to Chapter 61: Notes on Playwriting was entertaining. There are few chapters that may interesting to those wishing to know a little more of the editorial side of the late pulp era though those references are sparse. However Chapter 51: The Way of a Pulp Writer might be of interest.
The book is divided into two parts the first being the reprint of writer and editorial advice columns from various magazines of the day. The second part is just an extended list of the submission markets at the time and was wholly uninteresting to me. If you're going to read this book read it for the first section.
For a book published in 1957 there is some things in it that are somewhat non-PC but not much at all save for 50's style references to women and men and their differences/preferences but Chapter 75: The Church is my Favorite Beat has some cringe-worthy lines in it. If you're looking for controversy it'll be in that single chapter.
With this book, I found myself enjoying the earlier chapters more (there are a total of 79 chapters/articles) and the focus of the those chapters on characters and characterization. Frankly, if you can get a copy of this book for cheap, by all means get it and read it there are things of interest here.