Editors and proofreaders should be familiar with plenty of Style Guides and we thought that it would be a good idea to introduce some of the books we use here at My Blue Pencil.  So, in the first of this series, here is our introduction to The Economist Style Guide.

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It is a concise and witty guide to good writing style, full of pithy and persuasive advice.  Although it was originally created for the writers and editors of The Economist magazine, anyone writing business and financial documents and conforming to its rules will not go far wrong.  It is now on its ninth edition and has been published since 1986.  One of its strengths is its comprehensive list of the differences between British and American English.

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It is full of great tips and has a global reach that some of the other guides don’t have.  For example, did you know this:

Black: in the black means in profit in Britain, but making losses in some places. Use in profit.

or this:

Run. In countries with a presidential system you may run for office. In those with a parliamentary one, stand.

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It really is a very useful book to have around but if you want to check it out now, a large section of it is available online here.  Enjoy.

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