The contributions in the Handbook are practical, down-to-earth, learned, but shorn of jargon, informative, and characterized by clarity and simplicity. Young writers are encouraged not to try to re-invent the wheel, but to learn from strategies and inspiration of their predecessors, old and new. Such issues as themes, narrative technique, characterization, dramatic progression, dialogue, and appropriateness of language, which many writers may be grappling with, are presented in a way that a young writer will certainly appreciate. A literary work cannot be considered good, if the language in...