A fully revised and updated edition with writing prompts and challenges in every chapterToday’s writers need more spunk than Strunk: whether it's the Great American e-mail, Madison Avenue advertising, or Grammy Award-winning rap lyrics, memorable writing must jump off the page. Copy veteran Constance Hale is on a mission to make creative communication, both the lyrical and the unlawful, an option for everyone.With its crisp, witty tone, Sin and Synt...

"Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch is more than just a writing handbook; it’s a key to unlocking every writer’s innate creativity by offering countless paths to verbal expressiveness." —San Francisco ChronicleGreat sentences pivot on great verbs. In Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch, Constance Hale, best-selling author of Sin and Syntax, zeroes in on verbs that make bad writing sour and good writing sing. Each chapter in Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch

Dear Mister Essay Writer Guy,I have a hot crush on the em dash. What does my need to stuff—while simultaneously fracturing—my sentences—with the meandering, the explanatory, the discursive, the perhaps not-entirely-necessary—say about me?—Cheryl StrayedHave you ever wished there were an advice columnist for writers, but one who didn’t take things so damned seriously? This unique writing guide pairs questions sent in by top contemporary essayists with hilariously witty...

"...Fresh, realistic, and comprehensive solutions for the millions of Americans who haven't saved enough for retirement."—NANCY COLLAMER, Public Speaker, Career Coach, and Author of Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit Your Passions During Semi-RetirementWhen financial planning expert Melissa Phipps decided to quit her 9-to-5 and start her own business, she told herself, "the time is now." It wasn't retirement, but it was the first step. Not long after, she found...

The history of American witches is way weirder than you ever imagined. From bewitched pigs hell-bent on revenge to gruesome twentieth-century murders, American Witches reveals strange incidents of witchcraft that have long been swept under the rug as bizarre sidenotes to history.On a tour through history that’s both whimsical and startling, we’ll encounter seventeenth-century children flying around inside their New England home like geese.” We’ll meet a father-son team of...

A "wonderfully written account of America in the '30s," the follow-up to Only Yesterday examines Black Tuesday through the end of the Depression ( The New York Times).Wall Street Journal BestsellerOpening on September 3, 1929, in the days before the stock market crash, this information-packed volume takes us through one of America's darkest times all the way to the light at the end of the tunnel.Following Black Tue...

Many of the world’s most important and life-saving devices and techniques were often discovered purely by accident. Serendipity, timing, and luck played a part in the discovery of unintentional cures and breakthroughs:A plastic shard in an RAF pilot’s eye leads to the use of plastic for contact lenses.The inability to remove a titanium chamber from rabbit’s bone leads to dental implants.Viagra was discovered by a group of chemists, working in the lab to find a new dru...

A practical, inspirational guide that shows how verbalizing your goals can help you achieve them.Refreshingly honest, fast-paced, and full of humor, The List is full of practical advice and inspiration that will help you achieve your goals. Already an international bestseller, the book began as a list of ten things the author wanted to accomplish in 400 days. He posted the list on his blog and asked for help—and within 24 hours was overwhelmed by responses...

450 of the best slow cooker recipes from the New York Times bestselling Fix-It and Forget-it series!Here are the best-loved slow cooker recipes all in one place. These are the champs. These are the ones that surprise you-because you didn’t realize you were cooking when you made them. Because everyone at the table wants more! You can cook with these easy-to-follow, quick-to-prepare taste-stunners. If you already know you can cook, allow yourself to be surprised by th...

Master every fishing knot you’ll ever need.When you’re fishing, there’s nothing more frustrating than letting a poorly tied knot cost you the catch of the day. Knot expert Lindsey Philpott has written a guide to save anglers everywhere that anguish. The Complete Book of Fishing Knots, Leaders, and Lines contains directions for fifty kinds of knots, ranging from easier knots for beginners to specialized knots for more experienced fishermen. Each knot is exp...

Like Guns, Germs, and Steel, a work of breathtaking sweep and originality that reinterprets the human story.Although we usually think of technology as something unique to modern times, our ancestors began to create the first technologies millions of years ago in the form of prehistoric tools and weapons. Over time, eight key technologies gradually freed us from the limitations of our animal origins.The fabrication of weapons, the mastery of fire, a...

The first cookbook to explore the best, most authentic Italian pasta sauce recipes from a regional perspective, by food writer, cooking teacher, and Milan native Micol Negrin.The culinary odyssey begins in northern Italy, where rich sauces are prepared with fresh cream or local cheese: Creamy Fontina Sauce with Crushed Walnuts and White Truffle Oil; Parmigiano Sauce with Fresh Nutmeg; Pine Nut and Marjoram Pesto.Central Italy is known for sauces made with c...