Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, by Benjamin Dreyer
Most books about grammar can be boring -- especially those that combine rules of writing (sometimes the rules are gathered willy-nilly and often are wrong), with long lists of misused words.
Dreyer's English keeps the boring part to a minimum, and makes up for it with splendid gems mixed throughout, such as this: "ATM machine: ATM = automated teller machine, which, one might argue and win the argument, is redundant enough as it is."
His list of rules can be forgiving, but not unduly so. He points out, correctly, that the entire purpose of language is to communicate, so you need rules to understand each other. But he notes the English language is constantly changing and adapting, which is good, otherwise we'd be speaking and reading Old English, with no words to describe modern life.
He's generous: He doesn't like the singular "they" but recognizes why people insist on using it. (I agree.) He agrees that "begging the question" is often misused, but people should get over it because it's here to stay. (I disagree; it should be fought at every turn.) He is adamant that "unique" is singular and means one of a kind, which cannot be modified by degree. (This may be my top crochet; I cringe every time I see "very unique.")
And his discussion regarding use of "woman" as a adjective instead of "female" is not only thoughtful and persuasive, but leads to his best line in the book.
"Whether you choose to characterize professionals by gender is not my business. How you do it is. Dammit, Jim, I'm a copy editor, not a sociologist."
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