Language and Rhetoric. Few things are more important than an ability to get your message across. In order to do this, one must understand language, both grammar and usage. But the task of becoming a good writer or speaker does not end there. Once we develop an understanding of what is correct and uncorrect, we then move on to the lifelong task of cultivating a style. Rhetoric, in the sense used here, means the art of discovering the means of persuasion through logos, ethos and pathos. Simply understanding grammar is not enough to get by: you need to have something to say and the skill to say it well.
Writer's Reference
Believe it or not, you don't need perfect grammar to communicate well. Sometimes, "incorrect" grammar is the best way to put something. It is sometimes OK to split an infinitive. It is sometimes OK for passive voice to be used. Still, it's nice to know when you're "intentionally" using nonstandard grammar. Get this book so you know what the "rules" are, and then decide if you want to break them.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (5th ed.)
The source for information on citations and references. You'll write many research papers in your life, but you'll only need one handbook: the MLA guide. (Though you probably should buy a new edition every few years...)
The Craft of Research
This book talks about all the stuff people writing research papers hate to do: plan, make notecards, outline, revise, and the like. I hate doing all this as much as anyone. But take it from me, when you're writing a 20-page paper or a 100-page thesis, you'll wish you had developed good research habits earlier. Save yourself some trouble, buy this book, and learn from the pros.
A Rulebook for Arguments
This brief guide covers the major kinds of arguments and fallacies. It is an indispensable (and inexpensive) desk reference for anyone interested in crafting well-reasoned, logically sound arguments and finding holes in bad ones.
Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student
Corbett's classic work deals in depth with three of the five ancient canons of rhetoric: inventio, dispositio, and elocutio. The book has a lengthy discussion of schemes and tropes, many of which most students no longer study in school. Nevertheless, employing these schemes and tropes still creates wonderful-sounding sentences that help you express your ideas more powerfully. From the age of the Greeks to the time of Lincoln, Rhetoric was always a major subject. Over the last 150 years the term has faded from use, and only a watered-down form of Rhetoric, called "Composition", is taught in most schools today. Corbett's book aims to revive this lost art from its modern state, but regardless of whether this ever happens, individuals who have a good understanding of Rhetoric will always be at an advantage over their uninitiated peers.
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