Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors

If The Chicago Manual of Style is a little too expensive or unwieldy, or your needs are not quite so detail-oriented, this manual makes for a nice alternative. It's not a book about writing; it is a style guide, starting with punctuation, capitals, and abbreviations and culminating in typography, printing, and binding. Sandwiched between are chapters on preparing scientific material for publication, dealing with foreign-language extracts, and creating tables and graphs. Footnotes, bibliographies, indexes, and the editing process also get their due. A much-revised edition of Webster's Standard American Style Manual, this is a great resource for students, writers, and professionals alike. --Jane Steinberg