When the first editions of these two books appeared, I thought they were significant because of their unique format and content. As the authors suggest in the preface, the books can serve both students and practicing professionals equally well. I have used them in the college classroom; in short courses presented to scientists, engineers, and business people; and in the corporate writing-editing environment where I now work. These books are, as they promise, useful to every reader concerned with clear and effective communication.

Whether to hire technical graduates or liberal arts graduates to train as technical writers has always been a problem in the computer industry. The technical graduate takes much longer to train as a writer, but he learns the technical subject much more quickly. The more complex the subject, the more likely the technical graduate is to be selected — and the longer it takes for him to become a skilled writer. How the problem was partially solved at NCR by the use of a restricted vocabulary is explained. An unsolved part of the problem is identified, and readers are urged to help find the solution.