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Resources
A professional editor relies upon myriad resources to accomplish his or her work. Here are some from my personal library that may be helpful to you as well.
Dictionaries and Usage Guides
- Arcade Dictionary of Word Origins
- Descriptionary: A Thematic Dictionary
- Dictionary of Clichés
- Merriam-Webster English Usage Dictionary
- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed.
- Merriam-Webster's Rhyming Dictionary
- Oxford American Dictionary
- Oxford Dictionary for Writers & Editors
- Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories
- Random House Word Menu
- The Oxford Dictionary of 20th Century Quotations
- The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style
- The Penguin Dictionary of American English Usage and Style
- Webster's New World Dictionary of Computer Terms, 6th ed.
- World Dictionary of Foreign Expressions
Style Guides
- Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law (2002)
- Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed.
- Copyeditor's Handbook
- Elements of Style
- Government Printing Office Style Manual (2000)
- Gregg Reference Manual, 9th ed.
- Little, Brown Handbook, 7th ed.
- MLA Handbook, 6th ed.
- MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 2nd ed.
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed.
- UPI Stylebook and Guide to Newswriting
- Words into Type, 3rd ed.
Other Reference Books
- English Verb Conjugations
- Le Mot Juste
- Mark My Words
- Miss Thistlebottom's Hobgoblins
- Ologies and Isms
- Oxymoronica
- Phrases & Sayings
- Substance & Style
Recommended Reading
- Art of Literary Publishing (Henderson)
- Book Editors Talk to Writers (Mandell)
- Book Publishing (Dessauer)
- Craft of Revision (Murray)
- Eats, Shoots & Leaves (Truss)
- Editing for Writers (Rew)
- Fiction Editor, the Novel, and the Novelist (McCormack)
- How to Fix Fiction (Porosky)
- How to Write Irresistible Query Letters (Cool)
- Literary Agents: A Writer's Guide (Begley)
- Little Red Writing Book (Royal)
- No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript That Sells (Orr)
- Publishing Basics (Johnson)
- Revising Fiction (Madden)
- Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (Browne & King)
- Unlocking the Secrets of Publishing (Hemmerly)
- Writing the Breakout Novel (Maass)
- Writing the Popular Novel (Estleman)