Parker carefully balances his focus on Milton's life and the poet's immortal works. Parker begins his study by letting the reader know that he is both a lover of Milton's art and an admirer of Milton the individual. One who devotes time to this considerable study will certainly obtain similar sentiments.

This book is helpful, if you have no idea about what it means to write a dissertation. It does provide an overview of all of the basics, like what it means to select a committee, and how many pages make an average dissertation. However, it is full of advice that boils down to, "do what you need to do" and "do it with integrity".

While it is a very compact book, and has lots of useful information, it's a bit like reading a style manual. Several books for social scientists are available (see Howard Becker), and some of the books that deal more with the psychology of writing (and staying motivated to write) the dissertation might be a better buy.

I have read several books on dissertation writing and this one seems to cover all the bases in the most concise form. However, I gave it only four stars because there is no guide to further reading, which I think is essential.

As someone who works privately with students, helping them with dissertations, I highly recommend this book. When students call me in regard to assistance with their dissertation, I recommend that they buy this book and use it as an ongoing reference. The information contained in this book anticipates and answers many of the questions that students have about the dissertation process. It is the most practical guideline for writing a dissertation that I have come across in recent years.