This is one of my favourite books of all time - it works both as a book to dip into when you have some spare time and as a serious book for anyone who wants to improve their writing. But it's no dry textbook, more a conversation with William Zinsser as he shares his enthusiasm for language and good writing.
I borrowed it from a public library and renewed several times because I didn't want to take it back. The crunch came when we were moving and I resisted the temptation to kidnap the book and take it to the other side of the world. It was tempting.
Once settled, I ordered a copy through a bemused local bookseller - this was in the days BI (before Internet). We co-habited happily for several years. It's a good bedside book, a quick chapter leaves one feeling mellow and enriched, and like all good companions, it doesn't matter if you've had that conversation before. Then I lent it to someone and it has never returned.
It is time to get another copy. I've ordered this one today but some of the other books by William Zinsser look pretty tempting too.