Kingsley Amis's The King's English is as witty and biting as his novels. Modestly presented as a volume "in which some modern linguistic problems are discussed and perhaps settled," Amis's usage guide is a worthy companion to his revered Fowler's. The King's English is distinctly British, but never mind: it is sensational. And unlike many of his countrymen, Amis is decidedly pro-American, even admitting a "bias towards American modes of expression as likely to seem the livelier and ... smarter alternative." In a world populated by usage mavens too willingly to waffle, Amis is refreshingly unequivocal. On the expression meaningful dialogue? It "looks and sounds unbearably pompous. Nevertheless one would not wish to be deprived of a phrase that so unerringly points out its user as a humourless ninny." To cross one's 7's, he says, "is either gross affectation or, these days, straightforward ignorance." And the frequently misused word viable, he claims, "should be dropped altogether ... simply because it has taken the fancy of every trendy little twit on the look-out for a posh word for feasible, practicable." Forget Amis's protestations of being unfit for the position of language arbiter; after all, as he says, "the defence of the language is too large a matter to be left to the properly qualified." --Jane Steinberg

From Library Journal
Praised as a superb prose stylist, British writer Amis, who died in 1995, was nonetheless controversial, variously labeled a Communist, Thatcher conservative, alcoholic, misogynist, and philander. Even in The King's English, an entertaining manual that is hardly meant to be exhaustive, Amis's wit and candid opinion prevail. Anyone wishing to distinguish between the words belly and stomach (don't even consider tummy) or feeling particular angst over the crossed 7, the disappearance of Latin, and the use of such popular expressions as in-depth, in terms of, or whatever will find a discerning explanation. For insight into Amis's life and work, readers can turn to the authorized biography by Jacobs, a Fleet Street journalist and broadcaster. Amis wrote 24 novels, including the acclaimed Lucky Jim, plus several works of poetry and nonfiction. Focusing on the novels, Jacobs deftly reveals a man who is not always admirable or likable but is certainly intriguing. Recommended for literary collections.ARobert Kelly, Fort Wayne Community Schs., INCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The Wall Street Journal, Erik Wensberg
This is entertaining, like an Amis novel. And Americans will note that they are by no means alone in giving offense.... Talking straight, as he usually does, he makes a good case for clarity, directness and a little original thought.

The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review, Richard Eder
The King's English is not rigorous, nor are its pronouncements and distinctions especially keen. Amis' indignation, in old age, was something short of Swiftian. Yet his last book records a lifelong struggle akin to that fought by activists for the forests and streams and air and the Earth's species.

The Washington Post Book World, Michael Dirda
Its special pleasure lies in the vigor of Amis's prose, just as its most useful entries are its author's incisive mini-essays on the craft of writing well.... Certainly, this is one of those reference works one can read with more pleasure than many novels.

From Kirkus Reviews
A delightfully arch, irreverent handbook for those who dare to speak or write the Kings EnglishKingsley Amiss English, that is. The late author, who earned his reputation as one of the Angry Young Men of British literature in the 1950s, apparently reserved his greatest ire for those who misused language. To do so willfully in print was an indication of bad judgment, to do so unwittingly in conversation was mere stupidity. In an effort to curtail the abuse of the Kings own (and to launch an attack on creeping Americanisms, such as the use of advocate and progress as verbs), Amis wrote a guide to modern usage that isnt. But it is a gleeful intellectual stomp through malapropisms, false unions, split infinitives, danglers, floaters, berks, and wankers. Think of it as a twisted Strunk & White for the English middle class, to which the London-born, Cambridge-educated Amis certainly belonged. But he was no avatar of class-consciousnessin fact, just the opposite. He deplored the excessive use of French and discouraged affected pronunciation. Anglicized French words, like hors doeuvres, for example, were to be pronounced with robust disregard for accuracy. Seen from an American angle, Amiss book provides a highly entertaining glimpse into the social implications of speech in Britainwhere accent so influences public imageas well as Amiss own stylistic consciousness, which permeates this text. (Who else would devote a lengthy entry to Pronunciation: he-she?) But Amiss handbook has a serious undercurrent, as well, no matter how dry the authors wit. I am sustained, he wrote, by reflecting that the defense of language is too large a matter to be left to the properly qualified. Although useless as a guide to the English language, Amiss book functions as a droll literary tract and a reminder that the price of a good style, like that of other desirable things, is eternal vigilance. (Eric Jacobs's biography of Amis is also to be published in June. See p. 634.) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Book Description
Throughout his notable career as a novelist, poet, and literary critic, Kingsley Amis was often concerned--the less understanding might say obsessed--with the use and abuse of the English language. Do we know what the words we employ really mean? Do we have the right to use them if we don't? Should an "exciting" new program be allowed to "hit" your television screen? When is it acceptable to split an infinitive? And just when is one allowed to begin a sentence with "and"? The enemies of fine prose may dismiss such issues as tiresome and pedantic, but Kingsley Amis, like all great novelists, depended upon these very questions to separate the truth from the lie, both in literature and in life. A Parthian shot from one of the most important figures in postwar British fiction, this volume represents Amis's last word on the state of the language. More frolicsome than Fowler's Modern Usage, lighter than the Oxford English Dictionary, and replete with the strong opinions that have made Amis so popular--and so controversial--this book is essential for anyone who cares about the way English is spoken and written.

From the Publisher
"Readers who missed, in our cautious times, old-fashioned invective will find Amis their man...This is entertaining, like an Amis novel." --The Wall Street Journal "Smart, witty and idiosyncratic" --San Diego Union-Tribune "A brilliant practitioner of English prose." --Time "Surprisingly non-stickling...[Amis] can blast with the best." --L.A. Times "Entertaining is not normally a word reserved for usage manuals. Leave it to Amis...to deliver a style manual laced with witty, acerbic commentary." --Booklist "There may be more comprehensive guides to English usage but there will never be a more entertaining one. Nor one more passionate." --Daily Mail (UK)

About the Author
Hailed as one of the great prose stylists to appear in England since the Second World War, Kingsley Amis is the author of more than 20 novels, including Lucky Jim and the Booker-prize winning The Old Devils. Also recognized as a distinguished poet and literary critic, he died in 1995.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Throughout his notable career as a novelist, poet, and literary critic, Kingsley Amis was often concerned - the less understanding might say obsessed - with the use and abuse of English. Do we know what the words we employ really mean? Do we have the right to use them if we don't? Should an "exciting" new program be allowed to "hit" your television screen? Is "disinterest" a word, or is it ignorance? And just when is one allowed to begin a sentence with "and"? The enemies of fine prose may dismiss such issues as tiresome and pedantic, but Kingsley Amis, like all great novelists, depended upon these very questions to separate the truth from the lie, both in literature and in life.

A Parthian shot from one of the most important figures in postwar British fiction, The King's English is the late Kingsley Amis's last word on the state of the language.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

Praised as a superb prose stylist, British writer Amis, who died in 1995, was nonetheless controversial, variously labeled a Communist, Thatcher conservative, alcoholic, misogynist, and philander. Even in The King's English, an entertaining manual that is hardly meant to be exhaustive, Amis's wit and candid opinion prevail. Anyone wishing to distinguish between the words belly and stomach (don't even consider tummy) or feeling particular angst over the crossed 7, the disappearance of Latin, and the use of such popular expressions as in-depth, in terms of, or whatever will find a discerning explanation. For insight into Amis's life and work, readers can turn to the authorized biography by Jacobs, a Fleet Street journalist and broadcaster. Amis wrote 24 novels, including the acclaimed Lucky Jim, plus several works of poetry and nonfiction. Focusing on the novels, Jacobs deftly reveals a man who is not always admirable or likable but is certainly intriguing. Recommended for literary collections.Robert Kelly, Fort Wayne Community Schs., IN

Kirkus Reviews

A delightfully arch, irreverent handbook for those who dare to speak or write the Kingþs EnglishþKingsley Amisþs English, that is. The late author, who earned his reputation as one of the Angry Young Men of British literature in the 1950s, apparently reserved his greatest ire for those who misused language. To do so willfully in print was an indication of bad judgment, to do so unwittingly in conversation was mere stupidity. In an effort to curtail the abuse of the Kingþs own (and to launch an attack on creeping Americanisms, such as the use of þadvocateþ and þprogressþ as verbs), Amis wrote a þguide to modern usageþ that isnþt. But it is a gleeful intellectual stomp through malapropisms, false unions, split infinitives, danglers, floaters, berks, and wankers. Think of it as a twisted Strunk & White for the English middle class, to which the London-born, Cambridge-educated Amis certainly belonged. But he was no avatar of class-consciousnessþin fact, just the opposite. He deplored the excessive use of French and discouraged affected pronunciation. Anglicized French words, like þhors dþoeuvres,þ for example, were to be pronounced with robust disregard for accuracy. Seen from an American angle, Amisþs book provides a highly entertaining glimpse into the social implications of speech in Britainþwhere accent so influences public imageþas well as Amisþs own stylistic consciousness, which permeates this text. (Who else would devote a lengthy entry to þPronunciation: he-sheþ?) But Amisþs handbook has a serious undercurrent, as well, no matter how dry theauthorþs wit. þI am sustained,þ he wrote, þby reflecting that the defense of language is too large a matter to be left to the properly qualified.þ Although useless as a guide to the English language, Amisþs book functions as a droll literary tract and a reminder that þthe price of a good style, like that of other desirable things, is eternal vigilance.þ (Eric Jacobs's biography of Amis is also to be published in June. See p. 634.)