Structure

The book is structured in 26 chapters, each one headed with a letter of the alphabet and a subtitle. There is no clear explanation for the author’s choice to head the chapters in this way. Possibilities include the sense of progression or advancement that automatically comes with the experience of moving through the alphabet; with that in mind, there is perhaps the sense that the author intends to lead the reader through a progression of thought, analysis, and commentary. There is also, perhaps, the sense that in using a progression of letters instead of a progression of numbers, the author is referencing the fundamental importance of words to what he is saying, perhaps even creating a parallel between how both letters and the ideas he is offering are the foundation of effective writing.

Within each chapter, there is a sequence of numbered elements of varying lengths. Some...