Why people recommend it
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White is a classic American style manual designed to improve clarity and brevity in written English. Steven Pinker discussed the famous style guide on How I Write on June 4, 2025, while emphasizing the enduring virtue of brevity. Pinker explained that the core tenets were reiterated by E.B. White based on Cornell lectures, establishing that the absolute first rule of writing is to omit needless words. Similarly, Angela Duckworth referenced the volume on No Stupid Questions on January 19, 2023, equating it directly to the gold standard of scientific writing instruction. Duckworth invoked the famous names of Strunk and White to illustrate how foundational clear guidelines remain for professional and academic communication. Both podcast appearances highlighted how the manual transcends basic grammar instruction to shape the very mindset of effective writers across disciplines. By focusing relentlessly on conciseness and precision, the book has cemented its status as an indispensable resource for scholars, scientists, and authors striving to communicate complex ideas with maximum clarity and minimal rhetorical clutter, ensuring its lasting legacy in writing education.
Who recommended it
- Steven Pinker Discussed
Steven Pinker — 2 mentions
“it was reiterated centuries later in the famous style manual the elements of style by white where professor in lectures at Cornell that EB White recalled and then turned into a book would say that the first rule of writing is omit needless words.”
“and in fact as I point out in the sense of style uh the two most famous style guides in the English language namely Orwells politics in the English language and drunken whites the elements of Style”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And then it's like the Strunk and White of scientific writing.”