How

Reading How to Say It at Work by Jack Griffin as my bedtime reading recently.

I bought it as a bargain book few months ago, thinking that it was about English writing. Of course I was wrong; it was mostly about verbal communication - the title of the book told you that much.

You may ask, "There are so many books of this kind. Why do you pick this one ?"

The answer is simple, the book was in its second edition. The principle is: books of this kind do not stand the test of time, and only good ones could get into latter editions.

The next question is, "Was it good ?"

Following the 20-80 rule, the best of the book is the first fifty odd pages. In fact, books of this kind almost always have merely one or two chapters worth reading - and they are usually in the front.

It is perfectly reasonable: Authors need the first two chapters impressive in order to convince the publisher to get the work on to the market, and many of us - including me unfortunately - often practice cursory reading on the first chapter or two before actually buying it from the bookstore.