Instructions for Writing a Book Precis

Writing a book precis is a different task than writing a book review. The most important aspect

of a book precis is its brevity and concise writing. The following information will be required for

writing a book precis for this course:

1) The precis will be limited to one-page. Normal page margins (1-inch) will be used and

text size will be 12-pt., single-spaced.

2) The precis will include three sections: A) Author’s argument, 2) Support for Argument,

and 3) Evaluation and conclusion.

3) The author’s argument should encompass the overall argument of the book. Why did

the author write the book? What point was the author trying to make to the reader?

4) When writing the Support for Argument section, the student should be very concise in

their writing. Take the author’s argument and explain how the author supported that

argument in the book. Don’t retell parts of the book. This section requires you to look

at the big picture and determine the author’s overall approach to convincing the reader

of their argument.

5) The final section, Evaluation and Conclusion, requires the student to evaluate whether

or not the author’s writing convinced you of their argument. This section should be

brief, concise, and leave no doubt in a reader’s mind as to the value of the book.

The written book precis should be limited to one page. If, after writing your precis, your paper

is longer than one page, you must edit the paper to tighten the narrative and limit the writing

to your strongest arguments and statements.