William Strunk, Jr. (July 1, 1869, Cincinnati, Ohio – September 26, 1946, Ithaca, New York) was Professor of English at Cornell University an is best known as the author of the first editions of The Elements of Style, a best-selling guide to English usage. This book, printed as a private edition in 1918 for the use of his students, became a classic on the local campus, known as "the little book", and its successive editions have since sold over ten million copies.