On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
Zinsser's best-known and most influential book, and a foundational guide to nonfiction writing.
Author guide
William Zinsser Books in Order
William Knowlton Zinsser (1922–2015) was an American writer, editor, journalist, literary critic, and teacher. He began his career at the New York Herald Tribune, later taught at Yale and the New School, and served as executive editor of the Book-of-the-Month Club. His books range across fiction, journalism, writing instruction, memoir, travel, baseball, jazz, popular music, biography, and essay collections. He is best known for On Writing Well, his influential guide to nonfiction writing.
nonfictionmemoiressayjournalismwriting instructiontravel writingbiographymusic writingfiction
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Writing Places: The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher
A concise memoir that introduces his journalism, teaching career, and writing philosophy.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (9)
- Any Old Place with You
novel · 1957
- The City Dwellers
nonfiction · 1962
- Weekend Guests
nonfiction · 1963
- Pop Goes America
nonfiction · 1966
- The Paradise Bit
novel · 1967
- The Lunacy Boom
nonfiction · 1970
- Spring Training
sports nonfiction · 1989
- Easy to Remember: The Great American Songwriters and Their Songs
music nonfiction · 2000
Nonfiction (6)
- Seen Any Good Movies Lately?
film criticism · 1958
- Willie and Dwike: An American Profile
biography · 1984
- American Places
travel writing · 1992
- Speaking of Journalism: 12 Writers Talk about Their Work
journalism · 1994
- Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past
memoir · 2004
- Writing Places: The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher
memoir · 2009
Essays and speeches (2)
- The Haircurl Papers and Other Searches for the Lost Individual
essay collection · 1964
- The Writer Who Stayed
essay collection · 2012
Adapted from "Zinsser on Friday," The American Scholar's National Magazine Award–Winning Essay Series For nineteen months William Zinsser, author of the best-selling On Writing Well and many other books, wrote a weekly column for the…
Collaborations (1)
- Five Boyhoods
coauthored nonfiction · 1962
Other (4)
- Annual Report of the National Refractory & Brake Company
illustrated book · 1969
- On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction
writing instruction · 1976
On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in…
- Writing with a Word Processor
writing instruction · 1983
- Writing to Learn
writing instruction · 1988