Book Review: The Associated Press Stylebook 2019: A reference for writers in all professions

Book review by Dwight Hunter

The AP Stylebook's A to Z glossary list is the gold standard for how to use words, when to use words, using proper names, and how to capitalize the usage of phrases. But what about sports terms, or food terms, or even fashion terms. Yep, you can find those in the AP Stylebook too!

The A to Z glossary is a great way to learn how to apply the English language and phrases. For example, dyed-in-the-wool is an adjective phrase or the word, each, takes a singular verb, or that Las Vegas stands alone in datelines because we all know where Las Vegas is located. The entry for "weather terms" takes up almost four pages covering terms such as cyclone, dust devil, hurricane categories, heat index table, difference between winter storm watch and warning.


But information does not stop at Z! There are other great informational sections in the AP Stylebook!

There's a section about punctuation like when to use a dash or a hyphen.

There's a section about business--how to read a corporate earning report, different accounting rules, how to answer is it a merger or a takeover and much more in the business world of terms.

What is a poll? What is a survey? Find out these answers and more in the polls and survey section. Other subjects in this section are margin of error, how to evaluate a survey or poll, and what's the importance of the methods statement.

You can find in the health and science section these terms discussed: journal embargoes, observational studies, meta-analyses, research stages, absolute risk, relative risk, and many more.

There's a religion glossary covering the A to Z of religious terms. For example, Allahu akbar is the Arabic phrase for God is great, or that Christmastime is one word with a capital C, or that Hades is always capitalized, or that pontiff is not a formal title, and much more.

Not familiar with sports terminology? Never fear because in the sports section, were you aware that AstroTurf has a capital A and T with no space? Or that ERA is acceptable in all references for earned run average? Or that you can find the listings of colleges in every major college conference? And that knuckleball is one word despite the Webster's Dictionary.

And for those with culinary interests - a section about food! Find common culinary conversions, and discover what cocktail is angostura bitters, or that it is "baked Alaska" "beef Wellington" or that "graham crackers" are made from finely ground whole-wheat flour named for Sylvester Graham, a dietary reformer. And many more pages of food definitions.










AP Stylebook - anyone can find this a useful resource! Here's a picture of the fashion section!