Language Arts in Reference & Language & Nonfiction eBooks

Smart Brevity

The Power of Saying More with Less (Revised and Updated)

by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz ...

Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.This is the guiding principle of Smart Brevity, a communication formula built by Axios journalists to prioritize essential news and information, explain its impact and deliver it in a concise and visual format. In this revised and updated edition, the co-founders of Axios have created an essential guide for communicating effectively and efficiently using Smart ... Read more

Was $13.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

Brevity is confidence. Length is fear.This is the guiding principle of Smart Brevity, a communication formula built by Axios journalists to prioritize essential news and information, explain its impact and deliver it in a concise and visual format. In this revised and updated edition, the co-founders of Axios have created an essential guide for communicating effectively and efficiently using Smart
... Read more
Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea

Journeys Through Ancient Literature

by Emily Wilson ...

**"An enthralling and profoundly relevant book." —Salman Rushdie"I adored reading these joyful, illuminating, and engrossing journeys through ancient literature." —Madeline MillerMost Anticipated Books of Fall: Goodreads, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus ReviewsFrom the most celebrated translator of our time comes a visionary exploration of how translation reshapes and enriches our understanding of the ... Read more

$13.69 USD

**"An enthralling and profoundly relevant book." —Salman Rushdie"I adored reading these joyful, illuminating, and engrossing journeys through ancient literature." —Madeline MillerMost Anticipated Books of Fall: Goodreads, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus ReviewsFrom the most celebrated translator of our time comes a visionary exploration of how translation reshapes and enriches our understanding of the
... Read more
Dialogue

The Art of Verbal Action for Page, Stage, and Screen

by Robert McKee ...

**The long-awaited follow-up to the perennially bestselling writers' guide Story, from the most sought-after expert in the art of storytelling."Dialogue is a masterwork. There's nothing harder to teach. Now this book exists. McKee has written an essential book akin to The Elements of Style for all writers." —Margaret Nagle, winner of the Writer's Guild Award, Emmy, NAACP, Golden Globe, and Pen* ... Read more

Was $9.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

**The long-awaited follow-up to the perennially bestselling writers' guide Story, from the most sought-after expert in the art of storytelling."Dialogue is a masterwork. There's nothing harder to teach. Now this book exists. McKee has written an essential book akin to The Elements of Style for all writers." —Margaret Nagle, winner of the Writer's Guild Award, Emmy, NAACP, Golden Globe, and Pen*
... Read more
The Ancient Art of Thinking For Yourself

The Power of Rhetoric in Polarized Times

by Robin Reames ...

How rhetoric—the art of persuasion—can help us navigate an age of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and political acrimonyThe discipline of rhetoric was the keystone of Western education for over two thousand years. Only recently has its perceived importance faded.In this book, renowned rhetorical scholar Robin Reames argues that, in today’s polarized political climate, we should all care ... Read more

Was $18.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

How rhetoric—the art of persuasion—can help us navigate an age of misinformation, conspiracy theories, and political acrimonyThe discipline of rhetoric was the keystone of Western education for over two thousand years. Only recently has its perceived importance faded.In this book, renowned rhetorical scholar Robin Reames argues that, in today’s polarized political climate, we should all care
... Read more
The Art of Dramatic Writing

Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives

by Lajos Egri ...

Learn the basic techniques every successful playwright knows! Amid the hundreds of "how-to" books out there, there have been very few which attempted to analyze the mysteries of play construction. Lajos Egri's classic, The Art of Dramatic Writing, does just that, with instruction that can be applied equally well to a short story, novel, or screenplay.Examining a play from the inside out, Egri ... Read more

$13.99 USD

Learn the basic techniques every successful playwright knows! Amid the hundreds of "how-to" books out there, there have been very few which attempted to analyze the mysteries of play construction. Lajos Egri's classic, The Art of Dramatic Writing, does just that, with instruction that can be applied equally well to a short story, novel, or screenplay.Examining a play from the inside out, Egri
... Read more
How Language Works

How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die

by David Crystal ...

Steven Pinker meets Bill Bryson in this landmark exploration of language.In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex-or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is ... Read more

$4.99 USD

Steven Pinker meets Bill Bryson in this landmark exploration of language.In the author's own words, "How Language Works is not about music, cookery, or sex. But it is about how we talk about music, cookery, and sex-or, indeed, anything at all." Language is so fundamental to everyday life that we take it for granted. But as David Crystal makes clear in this work of unprecedented scope, language is
... Read more
Words and Rules

The Ingredients Of Language

by Steven Pinker ...

**An "excellent work of popular science" (New Republic) by a New York Times-bestselling author that unites history and science to reveal how the mind does languageIn Words and Rules, Steven Pinker explores profound mysteries of language by picking a deceptively simple phenomenon -- regular and irregular verbs -- and examining it from every angle. With humor and verve, he covers an astonishing ... Read more

Was $12.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

**An "excellent work of popular science" (New Republic) by a New York Times-bestselling author that unites history and science to reveal how the mind does languageIn Words and Rules, Steven Pinker explores profound mysteries of language by picking a deceptively simple phenomenon -- regular and irregular verbs -- and examining it from every angle. With humor and verve, he covers an astonishing
... Read more
Make Your Story Matter

An Interactive Guide to Unlocking Your Brain's Storytelling Power and Writing a Book Readers Love

by Abbie Emmons ...

USA Today BestsellerYou’ve got a story inside you—but writing it feels impossible.What if writing didn’t have to be a struggle? What if all you had to do was harness your brain's natural storytelling instincts to craft the book you’ve always dreamed of?If you’re having trouble bringing your story to life, the problem isn’t you. It’s that you’ve been buried under a mountain of rigid rules, t... ... Read more

$12.99 USD

USA Today BestsellerYou’ve got a story inside you—but writing it feels impossible.What if writing didn’t have to be a struggle? What if all you had to do was harness your brain's natural storytelling instincts to craft the book you’ve always dreamed of?If you’re having trouble bringing your story to life, the problem isn’t you. It’s that you’ve been buried under a mountain of rigid rules, t...
... Read more
Pitch Perfect

The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory

by Mickey Rapkin ...

High notes, high drama, and high jinks collide as elite collegiate a cappella groups compete to be the best in the nationJournalist Mickey Rapkin follows a season in collegiate a cappella, covering the breathtaking displays of vocal talent, the groupies (yes, a cappella singers have groupies), the rock-star partying (and run-ins with the law), and all the bitter rivalries. Along the way are ... Read more

$4.99 USD

High notes, high drama, and high jinks collide as elite collegiate a cappella groups compete to be the best in the nationJournalist Mickey Rapkin follows a season in collegiate a cappella, covering the breathtaking displays of vocal talent, the groupies (yes, a cappella singers have groupies), the rock-star partying (and run-ins with the law), and all the bitter rivalries. Along the way are
... Read more
Middlemen

Literary Agents and the Making of American Fiction

by Laura B. McGrath ...

A revealing account of how agents have shaped book publishing and the literary canon from the 1950s to todayMiddlemen rewrites literary history from the perspective of one of its most important but least visible figures: the literary agent. Chronicling the story of agents in the United States from the 1950s to today, Laura McGrath uncovers their critical role in the making of American literature. ... Read more

$21.59 USD

A revealing account of how agents have shaped book publishing and the literary canon from the 1950s to todayMiddlemen rewrites literary history from the perspective of one of its most important but least visible figures: the literary agent. Chronicling the story of agents in the United States from the 1950s to today, Laura McGrath uncovers their critical role in the making of American literature.
... Read more
Murder Your Darlings

And Other Gentle Writing Advice from Aristotle to Zinsser

by Roy Peter Clark ...

From one of America's most influential teachers, a collection of the best writing advice distilled from fifty language books -- from Aristotle to Strunk and White.With so many excellent writing guides lining bookstore shelves, it can be hard to know where to look for the best advice. Should you go with Natalie Goldberg or Anne Lamott? Maybe William Zinsser or Stephen King would be more appropriate ... Read more

Was $11.99 USD Now $1.99 USD

From one of America's most influential teachers, a collection of the best writing advice distilled from fifty language books -- from Aristotle to Strunk and White.With so many excellent writing guides lining bookstore shelves, it can be hard to know where to look for the best advice. Should you go with Natalie Goldberg or Anne Lamott? Maybe William Zinsser or Stephen King would be more appropriate
... Read more
The Notebook

A History of Thinking on Paper

by Roland Allen ...

A Globe 100 Best Book of 2024 • A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 • A Kirkus Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2024The first history of the notebook, a simple invention that changed the way the world thinks.We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did these indispensable implements come from? How did they revolutionize our lives? And how can using a notebook help change the way you think? In this ... Read more

$12.99 USD

A Globe 100 Best Book of 2024 • A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 • A Kirkus Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2024The first history of the notebook, a simple invention that changed the way the world thinks.We see notebooks everywhere we go. But where did these indispensable implements come from? How did they revolutionize our lives? And how can using a notebook help change the way you think? In this
... Read more
Easy Spanish Step-By-Step

by Barbara Bregstein ...

A proven grammar-based approach that gets you communicating in Spanish with confidence, right awayEasy Spanish Step by Step proves that a solid grounding in grammar basics is the key to mastering a second language. Grammatical rules and concepts are clearly explained in order of importance, and more than 300 verbs and key terms are introduced on the basis of frequency. Numerous exercises and ... Read more

$10.99 USD

A proven grammar-based approach that gets you communicating in Spanish with confidence, right awayEasy Spanish Step by Step proves that a solid grounding in grammar basics is the key to mastering a second language. Grammatical rules and concepts are clearly explained in order of importance, and more than 300 verbs and key terms are introduced on the basis of frequency. Numerous exercises and
... Read more
Writing Unforgettable Characters

How to Create Story People Who Jump Off the Page

by James Scott Bell ...

What will take your fiction from good to great? From decent to dazzling? From lackluster to blockbuster?Characters who "jump off the page."Of course plot matters. So does conflict, and scenes, and every other aspect of the fiction craft. But without unforgettable characters, your books will always be less than they could be.Don't let that happen.In WRITING UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS you'll learn:How ... Read more

$4.99 USD

What will take your fiction from good to great? From decent to dazzling? From lackluster to blockbuster?Characters who "jump off the page."Of course plot matters. So does conflict, and scenes, and every other aspect of the fiction craft. But without unforgettable characters, your books will always be less than they could be.Don't let that happen.In WRITING UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS you'll learn:How
... Read more
Pain Killer

An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic

by Barry Meier ...

**From the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times reporter who first exposed the roots of the opioid epidemic and the secretive world of the Sackler family behind Purdue Pharma, Pain Killer is the celebrated landmark story of corporate greed and government negligence that inspired an upcoming Netflix series.“This is the book that started it all. Barry Meier is a heroic reporter and Pain Killer is a ... Read more

$4.99 USD

**From the Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times reporter who first exposed the roots of the opioid epidemic and the secretive world of the Sackler family behind Purdue Pharma, Pain Killer is the celebrated landmark story of corporate greed and government negligence that inspired an upcoming Netflix series.“This is the book that started it all. Barry Meier is a heroic reporter and Pain Killer is a
... Read more
The Art of Brevity

Crafting the Very Short Story

by Grant Faulkner ...

With increased compression, every word, every sentence matters more. A writer must learn how to form narratives around caesuras and crevices instead of strings of connections, to move a story through the symbolic weight of images, to master the power of suggestion.With elegant prose, deep readings of other writers, and scaffolded writing exercises, The Art of Brevity takes the reader on a lyrical ... Read more

$9.99 USD

With increased compression, every word, every sentence matters more. A writer must learn how to form narratives around caesuras and crevices instead of strings of connections, to move a story through the symbolic weight of images, to master the power of suggestion.With elegant prose, deep readings of other writers, and scaffolded writing exercises, The Art of Brevity takes the reader on a lyrical
... Read more
Fact over Fake

A Critical Thinker's Guide to Media Bias and Political Propaganda

by Richard Paul, Linda Elder ...

Series series Thinker's Guide Library
Today’s instantaneous and ever-present news stream frequently presents a sensationalized or otherwise distorted view of the world, demanding constant critical engagement on the part of everyday citizens. Richard Paul and Linda Elder reveal the power of critical thinking to make sense of overwhelming and often subjective media by detecting ideology, slant, and spin at work. Fact over Fake is an ... Read more

$25.99 USD

Today’s instantaneous and ever-present news stream frequently presents a sensationalized or otherwise distorted view of the world, demanding constant critical engagement on the part of everyday citizens. Richard Paul and Linda Elder reveal the power of critical thinking to make sense of overwhelming and often subjective media by detecting ideology, slant, and spin at work. Fact over Fake is an
... Read more
Amplifying the Curriculum

Designing Quality Learning Opportunities for Multilingual Learners

by Donna E. Alvermann, María Paula Ghiso ...

Series series Language and Literacy Series
“This second edition is a fantastic resource for teachers of ELL–classified students and other multilingual learners.” —Wayne E. Wright, Purdue University“A must-read for anybody committed to improving the education of multilingual learners.” —Nelson Flores, Penn GSE“This meticulously crafted second edition is a book for our time, and for decades to come.” ... ... Read more

$35.99 USD

“This second edition is a fantastic resource for teachers of ELL–classified students and other multilingual learners.” —Wayne E. Wright, Purdue University“A must-read for anybody committed to improving the education of multilingual learners.” —Nelson Flores, Penn GSE“This meticulously crafted second edition is a book for our time, and for decades to come.” ...
... Read more
The Art of Time in Fiction

As Long as It Takes

by Joan Silber ...

Series series Art of...
Fiction imagines for us a stopping point from which life can be seen as intelligible," asserts Joan Silber in The Art of Time in Fiction. The end point of a story determines its meaning, and one of the main tasks a writer faces is to define the duration of a plot. Silber uses wide-ranging examples from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Chinua Achebe, and Arundhati Roy, among others, to illustrate five key ways ... Read more

$9.99 USD

Fiction imagines for us a stopping point from which life can be seen as intelligible," asserts Joan Silber in The Art of Time in Fiction. The end point of a story determines its meaning, and one of the main tasks a writer faces is to define the duration of a plot. Silber uses wide-ranging examples from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Chinua Achebe, and Arundhati Roy, among others, to illustrate five key ways
... Read more
From Notes to Narrative

Writing Ethnographies That Everyone Can Read

by Kristen Ghodsee ...

Series series Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing
Ethnography centers on the culture of everyday life. So it is ironic that most scholars who do research on the intimate experiences of ordinary people write their books in a style that those people cannot understand. In recent years, the ethnographic method has spread from its original home in cultural anthropology to fields such as sociology, marketing, media studies, law, criminology, education, ... Read more

$14.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

Ethnography centers on the culture of everyday life. So it is ironic that most scholars who do research on the intimate experiences of ordinary people write their books in a style that those people cannot understand. In recent years, the ethnographic method has spread from its original home in cultural anthropology to fields such as sociology, marketing, media studies, law, criminology, education,
... Read more
Love Stories

Language, Private Love, and Public Romance in Georgia

by Paul Manning ...

In the remote highlands of the country of Georgia, a small group of mountaindwellers called the Khevsurs used to express sexuality and romance in ways that appear to be highly paradoxical. On the one hand, their practices were romantic, but could never lead to marriage. On the other hand, they were sexual, but didn't correspond to what North Americans, or most Georgians, would have called sex. ... Read more

$27.99 USD

In the remote highlands of the country of Georgia, a small group of mountaindwellers called the Khevsurs used to express sexuality and romance in ways that appear to be highly paradoxical. On the one hand, their practices were romantic, but could never lead to marriage. On the other hand, they were sexual, but didn't correspond to what North Americans, or most Georgians, would have called sex.
... Read more
The Dialogue Engine

A Writer's Masterclass on Crafting Powerful, Character-Driven Conversations

by Kimberly Snow ...

Is Your Dialogue Falling Flat? Are Your Characters Talking, But Saying Nothing?You’ve built a fascinating world and a gripping plot, but when your characters open their mouths, the story grinds to a halt. Their conversations feel stiff, their voices sound the same, and the tension fizzles out. It’s the most common problem writers face, and it’s the single biggest thing holding your story back.It’s ... Read more

$4.99 USD or Free with Kobo Plus

Is Your Dialogue Falling Flat? Are Your Characters Talking, But Saying Nothing?You’ve built a fascinating world and a gripping plot, but when your characters open their mouths, the story grinds to a halt. Their conversations feel stiff, their voices sound the same, and the tension fizzles out. It’s the most common problem writers face, and it’s the single biggest thing holding your story back.It’s
... Read more
The Art of the Graphic Memoir

Tell Your Story, Change Your Life

by Tom Hart ...

The #1 New York Times –bestselling author and Eisner Award–nominated cartoonist's poignant and instructive guide for all aspiring graphic memoirists.Detailing the tenets of artistry and storytelling inherent in the medium, Tom Hart examines what makes a graphic memoir great, and shows you how to do it. With two dozen professional examples and a deep-dive into his own story, Hart encourages ... Read more

$17.29 USD

The #1 New York Times –bestselling author and Eisner Award–nominated cartoonist's poignant and instructive guide for all aspiring graphic memoirists.Detailing the tenets of artistry and storytelling inherent in the medium, Tom Hart examines what makes a graphic memoir great, and shows you how to do it. With two dozen professional examples and a deep-dive into his own story, Hart encourages
... Read more
The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide

Prompts and Activities to Create and Customize Your Own Game World

by James D’Amato ...

Series series Ultimate Role Playing Game Series
Level up your Game Master skills with these fun, interactive prompts and activities to help your worldbuilding from RPG expert James D’Amato.Make your next campaign truly unique with the help of this interactive guide to world building!From RPG expert James D’Amato comes a fun new guide that teaches beginner and experienced gamers alike how to build and create their own game elements for ... Read more

$10.99 USD

Level up your Game Master skills with these fun, interactive prompts and activities to help your worldbuilding from RPG expert James D’Amato.Make your next campaign truly unique with the help of this interactive guide to world building!From RPG expert James D’Amato comes a fun new guide that teaches beginner and experienced gamers alike how to build and create their own game elements for
... Read more

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