Geoffrey Pullum in the Chronicle of Higher Education:
On the panel show A Good Read (Radio 4, October 17, 2014), each guest recommends a book, which the other guests also read and discuss. And Pinker’s recommendation for a good read was … The Elements of Style !
It was like hearing Warren Buffett endorsing junk bonds. It was like learning that Stanley Kubrick called Plan 9 From Outer Space high-quality cinematography. It was like seeing Chet Atkins (Never mind. I am too dispirited to go on with this potentially entertaining game of analogy-making.)
You see, Pinker’s own new book, The Sense of Style (Viking, 2014), which of course the ethos of the radio program would not permit him to pick, has solved a problem I’ve had for years. People keep asking me what, given my low opinion of The Elements of Style, I would recommend instead; and I have had little to say except that I wished there were an answer. Today there is an answer: For a sensible guide to what makes good writing good, buy Pinker’s book.
More here.