If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.
– Dorothy Parker
I have seen this Dorothy Parker quotation posted many times, but never with a source, which makes me wonder if it’s apocryphal. Can anyone give me a citation for this?
Parker’s quote is taken from a review she wrote of The Elements of Style for Esquire magazine in 1959. I haven’t been able to find the issue number.