Book excerpt: The Brief Holt Handbook, Second Edition, serves as a concise writing reference for first-year composition classes and beyond. It provides thorough coverage of grammar, punctuation, word choice, spelling, and effective style. The process of writing essays, paragraphs, research papers, and business documents is fully discussed. Distinct from the competition, this reference text also covers critical thinking and reading, argumentation, writing about literature, writing essay exams, and writing in the workplace. In addition, The Brief Holt Handbook addresses the use of computers and the Internet in every stage of writing and research.