I have read many books on writing. Some by famous or commercially successful authors have been mentioned on this site. Common faults I found in them were too much narration, insufficient examples, with few explanations, that’s if the reader is lucky enough to be given something by the way of an explanation. One I read was beefed up with many pages of biographic details about the author’s life.
Below are the best books I have read on writing. They’re full of excellent examples which are clear and concise. Do’s, don’ts, and how to avoid pitfalls are clearly explained. More importantly, they don’t waffle to fill pages, or go off on unnecessary tangents.
Aspects of The Novel by E. M. Forster, author of Passage to India, Room with A View and Howards End.
The Elements of Style (Fourth Edition) by William Strunk jr. and E. B. White, author of Charlotte's Web
Learning to Write Fiction from the Masters - Barnaby Conrad (In my opinion the best book on creative writing)
Solutions for Novelists - The Secrets of a Master Editor - Sol Stein. (Sol formed the Actors Studio in America with famous authors and playwrights. Sol was a publisher, editor, best-selling author and award winning lecture on creative writing at American Universities. Famous authors and playwrights attended his lectures.
The Art and Craft of Novel Writing - Oakley Hall. (A friend of Sol Stein)
Check the reviews on Amazon. You can buy cheap second hand copies there.
I've got a bunch, but I've yet to read them.
Zen in the Art Of Writing
On Writing
Sol Stein On Writing
I'll make sure to get the others. :)
The most enlightening book for me (although it is predominantly for screenwriting) is:
Story by Robert McKee
It is so well written and in such a way that the ideas he is getting across flow naturally.