Writing & Language
510 books, ranked by score.
2008–2026How to Read a Book
Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Lincoln Van Doren
Recommended by 157 · mentioned by 234157 recommend · 234 mention157 recommend · 234157 recommend
2007–2026The Elements of Style
William Strunk, Jr., E. B. White
Recommended by 131 · mentioned by 231131 recommend · 231 mention131 recommend · 231131 recommend
2008–2026Politics and the English language
George Orwell
Recommended by 112 · mentioned by 210112 recommend · 210 mention112 recommend · 210112 recommend
2007–2026On Writing Well
William Zinsser
Recommended by 137 · mentioned by 170137 recommend · 170 mention137 recommend · 170137 recommend
2010–2026Nonviolent Communication
Marshall B. Rosenberg, Deepak Chopra, Magiarí Díaz Díaz, Alan Rafael Seid Llamas
Recommended by 99 · mentioned by 14099 recommend · 140 mention99 recommend · 14099 recommend
2007–2026On Writing
Stephen King
Recommended by 94 · mentioned by 13594 recommend · 135 mention94 recommend · 13594 recommend
2009–2026Homage to Catalonia
George Orwell
Recommended by 74 · mentioned by 12274 recommend · 122 mention74 recommend · 12274 recommend
2010–2026On Bullshit
Harry G. Frankfurt
Recommended by 42 · mentioned by 11142 recommend · 111 mention42 recommend · 11142 recommend
2010–2026The Chicago manual of style
University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff
Recommended by 19 · mentioned by 11219 recommend · 112 mention19 recommend · 11219 recommend
2009–2025Crucial Conversations
Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
Recommended by 90 · mentioned by 10190 recommend · 101 mention90 recommend · 10190 recommend
2007–2026The Language Instinct
Steven Pinker
Recommended by 44 · mentioned by 8344 recommend · 83 mention44 recommend · 8344 recommend
2009–2026Understanding Media
Marshall McLuhan, Marshal McLuhan
Recommended by 35 · mentioned by 8335 recommend · 83 mention35 recommend · 8335 recommend
2009–2026Metaphors We Live By
George Lakoff, Mark Johnson, Lakoff
Recommended by 56 · mentioned by 8156 recommend · 81 mention56 recommend · 8156 recommend
2007–2023The Non-Designer's Design Book
Robin Williams
Recommended by 75 · mentioned by 8375 recommend · 83 mention75 recommend · 8375 recommend
2011–2026The Information
James Gleick
Recommended by 61 · mentioned by 8161 recommend · 81 mention61 recommend · 8161 recommend
2018–2026How to Take Smart Notes
Sönke Ahrens
Recommended by 49 · mentioned by 7749 recommend · 77 mention49 recommend · 7749 recommend
2008–2026Difficult Conversations
Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, Roger Drummer Fisher
Recommended by 47 · mentioned by 6047 recommend · 60 mention47 recommend · 6047 recommend
2007–2026The hero with a thousand faces
Joseph Campbell
Recommended by 26 · mentioned by 6626 recommend · 66 mention26 recommend · 6626 recommend
2014–2026The Sense of Style
Steven Pinker, José C. Vales
Recommended by 45 · mentioned by 5645 recommend · 56 mention45 recommend · 5645 recommend
2009–2026Le Ton beau de Marot
Douglas R. Hofstadter
Recommended by 27 · mentioned by 5227 recommend · 52 mention27 recommend · 5227 recommend
2015–2026Lingua Latina per se Illustrata
Hans H. Ørberg
Recommended by 32 · mentioned by 5232 recommend · 52 mention32 recommend · 5232 recommend
2008–2026Speech and language processing
Dan Jurafsky, Daniel Jurafsky, James H. Martin
Recommended by 41 · mentioned by 4541 recommend · 45 mention41 recommend · 4541 recommend
Remembering the Kanji
James W. Heisig, Tom Minehart
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 4417 recommend · 44 mention17 recommend · 4417 recommend
2009–2026Understanding Power
Noam Chomsky, Peter R. Mitchell, John Schoeffel
Recommended by 27 · mentioned by 4327 recommend · 43 mention27 recommend · 4327 recommend
2008–2026Style
Joseph M. Williams, Joseph Bizup, Gregory G. Colomb
Recommended by 38 · mentioned by 4238 recommend · 42 mention38 recommend · 4238 recommend
2014–2025Fluent forever
Gabriel Wyner
Recommended by 30 · mentioned by 4330 recommend · 43 mention30 recommend · 4330 recommend
2010–2026The pyramid principle
Barbara Minto
Recommended by 28 · mentioned by 3928 recommend · 39 mention28 recommend · 3928 recommend
2013–2026Save the cat!
Blake Snyder
Recommended by 13 · mentioned by 4113 recommend · 41 mention13 recommend · 4113 recommend
2007–2026Envisioning Information
Edward R. Tufte
Recommended by 31 · mentioned by 4131 recommend · 41 mention31 recommend · 4131 recommend
2013–2021Authority
Nathan Barry
Recommended by 23 · mentioned by 3523 recommend · 35 mention23 recommend · 3523 recommend
2009–2026Bird by Bird
Anne Lamott, Susan Bennett
Recommended by 31 · mentioned by 3731 recommend · 37 mention31 recommend · 3731 recommend
2009–2026The Abolition of Man
C. S. Lewis
Recommended by 19 · mentioned by 3419 recommend · 34 mention19 recommend · 3419 recommend
2012–2026How to talk so kids will listen & listen so kids will talk
Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish
Recommended by 30 · mentioned by 3530 recommend · 35 mention30 recommend · 3530 recommend
2011–2025Steal like an artist
Austin Kleon
Recommended by 18 · mentioned by 3118 recommend · 31 mention18 recommend · 3118 recommend
2007–2026The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 308 recommend · 30 mention8 recommend · 308 recommend
2008–2025Commentarii de bello gallico
Julius Caesar
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 306 recommend · 30 mention6 recommend · 306 recommend
2010–2026Through the language glass
Guy Deutscher
Recommended by 22 · mentioned by 2522 recommend · 25 mention22 recommend · 2522 recommend
2009–2026Science and sanity
Alfred Korzybski
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 279 recommend · 27 mention9 recommend · 279 recommend
2009–2026Poetics
Aristotle
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 256 recommend · 25 mention6 recommend · 256 recommend
2010–2025The medium is the massage
Marshall McLuhan
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 2610 recommend · 26 mention10 recommend · 2610 recommend
2010–2026The World Book encyclopedia
World Book, Inc
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 259 recommend · 25 mention9 recommend · 259 recommend
2008–2025Beautiful Evidence
Edward R. Tufte
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 238 recommend · 23 mention8 recommend · 238 recommend
2010–2026Metamorphoses
Ovid
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 234 recommend · 23 mention4 recommend · 234 recommend
2008–2025How to Talk to Anyone
Leil Lowndes
Recommended by 16 · mentioned by 2116 recommend · 21 mention16 recommend · 2116 recommend
2008–2025The Craft of Text Editing
Craig A. Finseth
Recommended by 18 · mentioned by 2018 recommend · 20 mention18 recommend · 2018 recommend
2010–2025The Awful German Language
Mark Twain
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 229 recommend · 22 mention9 recommend · 229 recommend
2010–2026Clear and simple as the truth
Francis-Noël Thomas
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 1815 recommend · 18 mention15 recommend · 1815 recommend
2007–2026Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Lynne Truss
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 2111 recommend · 21 mention11 recommend · 2111 recommend
2012–2026The high frontier
Gerard K. O'Neill
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 2010 recommend · 20 mention10 recommend · 2010 recommend
The medium is the message
Marshall McLuhan
Recommended by 5 · mentioned by 215 recommend · 21 mention5 recommend · 215 recommend
2010–2025Visual Explanations
Edward R. Tufte
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 2111 recommend · 21 mention11 recommend · 2111 recommend
2016–2024Pre-Suasion
Robert B. Cialdini, John Bedford Lloyd
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 2010 recommend · 20 mention10 recommend · 2010 recommend
2015–2026The Gutenberg Galaxy
Marshall McLuhan
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 188 recommend · 18 mention8 recommend · 188 recommend
2010–2026Don't Think of an Elephant!
George Lakoff
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1911 recommend · 19 mention11 recommend · 1911 recommend
Garner's modern English usage
Bryan A. Garner
Recommended by 8 · mentioned by 198 recommend · 19 mention8 recommend · 198 recommend
2012–2025Lingua Latina
Hans H. Ørberg
Recommended by 9 · mentioned by 189 recommend · 18 mention9 recommend · 189 recommend
2008–2026In the blink of an eye
Walter Murch
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1811 recommend · 18 mention11 recommend · 1811 recommend
2011–2026The Mac is not a typewriter
Robin Williams
Recommended by 11 · mentioned by 1711 recommend · 17 mention11 recommend · 1711 recommend
2009–2026The Cambridge grammar of the English language
Rodney D. Huddleston, Geoffrey K. Pullum
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 163 recommend · 16 mention3 recommend · 163 recommend
2015–2024Soft Skills
John Z. Sonmez
Recommended by 14 · mentioned by 1714 recommend · 17 mention14 recommend · 1714 recommend