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Lord Chesterfield On the Craft of Business Writing: the Relationship of Reading and Writing

Auburn University

An analysis of Lord Chesterfield's letters to his son on writing effective business letters reveals that the principles we now stress in business writing have stood the test of time. Although most of Chesterfield's advice (couched in a style that makes old, cliche-ridden principles seem fresh again) is still followed, his admonition that writers should read to improve writing style has been set aside. This article examines the par allels between Chesterfield's advice and current business writing philos ophy and finally argues that we should place greater emphasis on read ing in business writing courses.

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