Wayne. C. Booth.

I read Wayne.C.Booth's obituary in the paper today, which reminded me that I've long intended to mention him on this forum. His "The Rhetoric of Fiction" is bar none the best book I've read on writing. Though it's a work of criticism rather than a how-to-write manual, it revolutionised my approach to point-of-view and voice, as well as providing me with many other revelations. It's an advanced and demanding book - it took me over a month to read and note - but is nonetheless written in fastidiously clear prose. I can't recommend it highly enough.