Jim Harrison

The old fun thing is when somebody typed up the first chapter of War and Peace. And then made a precis of the rest of it and sent it out and only one publisher recognized it.

American Writer

Harlan Ellison

I'm a storyteller. If I have that on my precis when I go, 'Storyteller,' I'm satisfied with that.

Used often in academic contexts to summarize texts for easier reference or study.

Academic Use

A precis summarizes content, without personal opinions or critical evaluations.

Not a Review

A precis must be brief but still capture the essence of the material, including key points.

Brevity is Key

Precising involves actively distilling the essence of a text, not just copying snippets.

Active Task

While summarizing, try to maintain the original structure and order of ideas from the text.

Maintain Structure

Keep your tone neutral and objective; personal biases should not influence the precis.

Objective Tone

 couldn't have made a better precis or summary of my work if he'd had my notes in front of him and he thought perhaps that his whole life's work was about to be stolen by this upstart this working class later as it was he appealed to his friends particularly those who looked