The Norton Anthology of English Literature (Ninth Edition) (Vol. B)

i needed this for my english class and it came two days after I ordered it on expedited shipping. It's full of great influential material. I would recommend this even as a casual reading book. It's amazing.

This book comes in one large book or in this package which is 3 smaller books. I'm so happy to have bought this package because the Professor requires us to bring the book to every class and it's quite large! Bringing one small book at a time is so much easier. The text is a bit small, but not too small to be difficult to read.

I know that I wouldn't have read these books if they weren't in my required reading because I'm more drawn to modern poetry and literature, but now I'm happy to have them in my library.

The book itself was quite good, but the book came completely covered in pizza. I don't know who left their lunch in between the pages of my crumpled anthology. However, the many creases and bends in the pages ensured the delivery of nearly a full helping of tomato sauce, pepperoni and cheese.

I'm glad I got this three volume set instead of the all-in-one book, which is way too thick and heavy to carry around easily. It's probably also much cheaper than the ones sold in most college bookstores. These books were in good condition as described by the seller, and arrived quickly.

I have to agree with all of my teaching assistants on this book, the annotations ruin it. Half of them seem to be unnecessary, and other useful information is left out.
That being said, this is a far better version to buy than the one volume. The divided volumes made it much easier to bring to class, and presumably kept me from breaking my back.

This is one large book broken down into three separate books by centuries. I rented the 9th edition but I received the 8th edition of the 16th/17th century book so none of my pages numbers match up with my course.

Don't be deceived. Volumes A, B, C does not mean Volumes A, B, C as one would think. I only received Volume B, and am now in a predicament as class starts in a few days and I now can't get ahead on the readings since I don't have Volume A!

Don't be deceived. Volumes A, B, C does not mean Volumes A, B, C as one would think. I only received Volume B, and am now in a predicament as class starts in a few days and I now can't get ahead on the readings since I don't have Volume A!

I was very pleased with the speedy delivery and accurate description of the quality and content of the product. I received the Norton Anthology well before the date expected, (plenty of time before the school semester began--in Hawai'i), which is always a relief. The price of the product, (Brand New) plus shipping was less than if I purchased it USED at the college bookstore. I honestly recommend this seller to those interested.

The name on the the store picture for the book is “The Norton Anthology of English Literature” 8 received 3 books titled “The Norton Anthology of World Literature” Definitely not the right books!

First of all, I saved myself 20 bucks by getting this book on the store than with my school's store. I wasnt suppose to get it for 3 weeks, but it got here the next week!! Plus shipping was free!! I read another review that didnt give it a good rating, but that's his professor's fault. He didnt explain the store's part in this at all. I have the first volume as well and my professor had us read a lot from the text. Plus, I am an English major and always keep my English text books for future references. The only thing I do hate about it is that you can't hold it comfortably like you do with a good novel. It really is quite thick. The publishers should cut the book into three separate books and sell it together. Anyway, overall, this was a great purchase and I am glad I was able to get this awesome deal!!! Btw, the book was in great condition! No tears, rips, or scratches. :)

The package, which consisted of volumes A, B and C, arrived quickly. Although it said online that it was used I would have honestly thought that it was brand new. None of the pages were written on or worn out in any way. I am completely satisfied with my purchase.

Lots of ink writing in it and underlining of passages that is distracting when reading and studying and completing assignments. It is very worn. Yet, the book is still usable. I wish it had come in better condition so I would not be so hard the passages I need to see.

Most of the passages can be found online or bought used for a much cheaper price, I guess that means the only differentiating factor that Norton offers is its annotations/introductions. However, I haven't had much time to read anything but the stories for class.

I received them in a great box, great service. About these text books though, hard to read especially for me who is a Chinese background and studying Eng. Literature. To enlighten you all, the ' romanticism' is super enlightening.
I love Blake's "the marriage of heaven and hell". It expands my mind and my view concerning the world situation today. It helps me to open my mind more towards each things happening around me since I have started to analysis it. Blake did not talk about the Christianity but embrace the existence of the Christianity which uphold the "good" and restrain the "evil". Because if there is no one tries to be absolute there is no way for the heaven to exist. If there is no heaven,hell would be vanished. Therefore, in order to have heaven, hell is needed. In Blake's opinion, heaven and hell need to be co-exist. Hell is there to uphold heaven, without hell there won't be heaven. He says " without contraries is no progression."
When comes to Mary's " the vindication of the right of woman" is also super interesting. What is woman's right? Woman's right is not to be called " woooooooooo" man. Wo man means that she is out of man, and man is her head; she belongs to him; she is his possession or property. Hence, ladies need to be educated in science so that she can live out full humanity. Otherwise, she would make herself an ornament for others to praise, and it won't last more than 20 years.
Oh my, I am captured by English literature,no one can stop my enthusiasm for it.It amazes me by it's language, I mean how could a person's mind able to explore the form of the society into such a depth and then even possibly put it into "words"?? I wish I could write so well after 10 years. I mean I can't even write out loud my deep thoughts into my mother tongue. I am indeed impressed with those writers in 1700-1800. Compare with recent published works,even kids can read them, what is the point? Lead the kids to dungeon? Mary Wollstonecraft says " if the blind lead the blind, one need not come from heaven to tell us the consequence".

First of all, I saved myself 20 bucks by getting this book on the store than with my school's store. I wasnt suppose to get it for 3 weeks, but it got here the next week!! Plus shipping was free!! I read another review that didnt give it a good rating, but that's his professor's fault. He didnt explain the store's part in this at all. I have the first volume as well and my professor had us read a lot from the text. Plus, I am an English major and always keep my English text books for future references. The only thing I do hate about it is that you can't hold it comfortably like you do with a good novel. It really is quite thick. The publishers should cut the book into three separate books and sell it together. Anyway, overall, this was a great purchase and I am glad I was able to get this awesome deal!!! Btw, the book was in great condition! No tears, rips, or scratches. :)

The package, which consisted of volumes A, B and C, arrived quickly. Although it said online that it was used I would have honestly thought that it was brand new. None of the pages were written on or worn out in any way. I am completely satisfied with my purchase.

Lots of ink writing in it and underlining of passages that is distracting when reading and studying and completing assignments. It is very worn. Yet, the book is still usable. I wish it had come in better condition so I would not be so hard the passages I need to see.

Most of the passages can be found online or bought used for a much cheaper price, I guess that means the only differentiating factor that Norton offers is its annotations/introductions. However, I haven't had much time to read anything but the stories for class.

I received them in a great box, great service. About these text books though, hard to read especially for me who is a Chinese background and studying Eng. Literature. To enlighten you all, the ' romanticism' is super enlightening.
I love Blake's "the marriage of heaven and hell". It expands my mind and my view concerning the world situation today. It helps me to open my mind more towards each things happening around me since I have started to analysis it. Blake did not talk about the Christianity but embrace the existence of the Christianity which uphold the "good" and restrain the "evil". Because if there is no one tries to be absolute there is no way for the heaven to exist. If there is no heaven,hell would be vanished. Therefore, in order to have heaven, hell is needed. In Blake's opinion, heaven and hell need to be co-exist. Hell is there to uphold heaven, without hell there won't be heaven. He says " without contraries is no progression."
When comes to Mary's " the vindication of the right of woman" is also super interesting. What is woman's right? Woman's right is not to be called " woooooooooo" man. Wo man means that she is out of man, and man is her head; she belongs to him; she is his possession or property. Hence, ladies need to be educated in science so that she can live out full humanity. Otherwise, she would make herself an ornament for others to praise, and it won't last more than 20 years.
Oh my, I am captured by English literature,no one can stop my enthusiasm for it.It amazes me by it's language, I mean how could a person's mind able to explore the form of the society into such a depth and then even possibly put it into "words"?? I wish I could write so well after 10 years. I mean I can't even write out loud my deep thoughts into my mother tongue. I am indeed impressed with those writers in 1700-1800. Compare with recent published works,even kids can read them, what is the point? Lead the kids to dungeon? Mary Wollstonecraft says " if the blind lead the blind, one need not come from heaven to tell us the consequence".

For required text, came as described. Large hefty book, not a fan of the "bible" like pages, but I suppose thicker paper would have made this monster unmanageable. I just feel like im going to hulk out and rip the pages every time I turn them.

The book was sent in a short period of time. I received the book a day after it was sent. The book was in outstanding condition. I am surprised I got it for such a low price. It looks brand new. Very well taken care of. I highly recommend this seller.

Twice in a row, I have received an incomplete set. Would not recommend. It is hard to take a class without the complete set of books.

Updated 2/3/2015: On the third order, I finally received all three volumes.

I bought this book because cal state long beach forced me to. they realized they werent charging enough and that i was not carrying enough weight. so i got this book. the book is a terrible romantic novel, all the love stories are barely even there its ridiculous. i used to love curling up in a warm blanket late at night and read a hardcore no excuse romance novel, that is, until i got this. seriously this book is not worth the price it is so bland. there is only one good author named coleridge that wrote a pretty snazzy pirate's ryme or something like that, but then when i got into it i was pissed because this book has stuff that isnt even finished. that same pirate guy coleridge wrote a tourists guide to this gumba khan place, can you believe they published it without finishing it?
whatever this makes a good fire starter.

This book is wonderful as far as the information it holds, but it arrived in awful condition. It should have been sold for fifty cents rather than $5.50, it is literally falling apart and has full pages of writing in it, that was definitely not advertised when I purchased it.

I really appreciate the great price and availability. When I got the package, I chuckled a little bit when it read "Unreturnable if shrinkwrap is broken" and it was before I even opened the box. Good thing I don't have to return it :P

this textbook is several inches thick and weighs a ton. The print is so small that I could barely even read it. I wound up checking book copies of several of the readings out of my library so I didn't have to read them in this monster-sized textbook.

I had received the packaging by the shipping estimate, and all volumes were intact. However, the packaging itself was a bit ripped when I opened the box. However, the books were in fine shape, and there was nothing wrong with it.

Would buy again (if I needed anymore Norton sets!)

The books were in perfect condition when I got them! They were the same price here WITH shipping as the student book store without shipping. Its a great book as well that is very helpful to my English Lit class. Buying all English books from the store from now on.

This was the required set of textbooks for my Brit Lit class. It came in really good time (5 days or so, minus the weekend?) and in great condition. Five weeks into the semester, this seems like a good survey of the literature of the times. It has helpful footnotes and introductions, and the formatting is very comfortable to read.

I resent that I had to buy this for a mandatory class for my major. I feel like I'm being ripped off from professors sharing their real knowledge about literature because of some preconscribed program wherein I (as a student) am being bled for textbook $$. The pages are thinner than a motel bible, and the soft cover bends too easily in a backpack.

I guess this 3 volume set was a good rental for my son, last semester. However, not very pleased that upon returning said rental along with another text book, my credit card has now been charged as purchasing this set because it was said to have been "missing" from my return shipment. Not complaint about the text, just the rental receiving department.

This was a book I needed for college. It's a fat, chunky book. I bought it here because it was so much cheaper than the college bookstore. I got a deal here on the store it was way cheaper. Very happy with my purchase.

I only recieved Volume C of the package. I needed the entire set for my literature class; I'm still waiting for Volumes A and B to arrive, though I doubt they will. I'm incredibly disappointed, and will defer from ordering textbooks from the store.

Book is not terrible. Being forced to buy it for a class was. If you like British Literature you'll love this book. If no you will hate that it's not even worth the effort to sell when you are done with it

This was a book I needed for college. It's a fat, chunky book. I bought it here because it was so much cheaper than the college bookstore. I got a deal here on the store it was way cheaper. Very happy with my purchase.

I only recieved Volume C of the package. I needed the entire set for my literature class; I'm still waiting for Volumes A and B to arrive, though I doubt they will. I'm incredibly disappointed, and will defer from ordering textbooks from the store.

Book is not terrible. Being forced to buy it for a class was. If you like British Literature you'll love this book. If no you will hate that it's not even worth the effort to sell when you are done with it

If you like classical English literature, you'll love this collection of poetry, fictional prose, and nonfictional prose all scribed by authors from that grand old island we call Great Britain. I used it as a text book, but I can see why people would want it on their shelves to take out and occasionally peruse. It's great for those times when you feel as though you've had enough of modern authors and reruns of Hill Street Blues. It's also a great conversation piece. I can imagine a couple inviting their close friends over and, having nothing else about which they may talk, mentioning the gigantic collection of literature this couple owns and currently displays proudly on their coffee table. My views are that such a book shouldn't go unnoticed by passers-by in the local bookstore. It's great to have this in your collection of masterpiece literature. When you run out of sappy romance novels, pick this up and start from "Beowulf" and finish with a little Joseph Conrad. You'll finish it in no time. So, give me a call in my corner of Louisiana when you're done... if you're still alive.

I WANTED TO BUY THIS BOOK-BUT
No where on this page does it say just what is in the book. It gives all the contributors and their awards, but just not what authors and pieces of literature are in the book. I wanted to replace a textbook that was caught in a flood, a book from college that I treasured, but I want certain authors. Why didn't the publishers tell us who is included in the text and what works are in it.

I bought the Norton Anthology of English Literature, seventh edition, volume 1, for one of my core classes in my English lit major, and I've found it to be a very worthy addition to my literature collection. Heaney's verse translation of Beowulf(as compared to the prose translation of the 6th edition) is engaging and fun to read(not to mention wonderful poetry). Chaucer's Canterbury Tales appear in their original Middle English, while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is translated into modern English. This edition contains samples of numerous authors up until the 18th century, and it's an excellent buy for a survey of English literature.

Bought the book for school. I'm an English major. While British Literature is not my most favorite class, this book is pretty decent. The footnotes and introductions to each author are helpful. The supplemental online stuff is helpful also, if you want to do further reading for some reason.
The book itself is pretty hefty at 3000+ pages. I'm not a fan of the super thin tissue paper pages, because it makes the book feel too delicate and not very practical for highlighting, but the book would have probably been way too thick and heavy otherwise. If the publisher had split the book up into two or three separate volumes with thicker pages, that would have been preferable.

Interface: Poetry and Selected Readings, Volume One, 2010

If you love ancient english and reading in a foreign tongue than this book is for you. Some of the words are difficult to understand but that is the challenge in reading ancient literature. Should be read slowly to fully appreciate the beauty of the words. Good job!!!

In graduate school I read and reread this work, studied and re- studied it.

As it contains many the major masterpieces ( or excerpts of them) of English Literature it is a work which lends itself to this kind of reading and rereading. The introductions to each individual writer are also informative and in many cases a help in reading the work.

It is probably still the best one- volume introduction to English Literature that there is.

I'm a university professor, and I've used the Norton anthologies in my surveys of English literature for years. But it's absurd that every few years, a new edition is brought out (with little or no substantive changes), forcing students to buy a new text rather than the used texts that are widely (and cheaply) available. A further absurdity is that the hardcover version of the 7th edition is only two dollars more than the paper. Anyone interested in buying the Norton anthologies for reading pleasure (rather than as a required text) would be just as well suited by a used copy of either the fifth or sixth editions.

I absolutely love that I got the three book set new for the same price that my classmates paid for a used single volume edition at the bookstore. Having the book in three parts makes carrying it around campus much easier considering the single volume anthology could be compared to a cinderblock in size. I am happy with my purchase and glad it arrived on time.

I'm required to have all 3 volumes of this set for school. It's hardly available anywhere and I've a horrible time trying to acquire the full set. Needless to say I was extraordinarily angry to open my package and find only the first volume...

Change your description guys, seriously. I would've been happy if I'd paid to just get the first one, but I assumed I was getting all 3, considering the product title. Fix it.

I must be sensible enough to acknowledge that for volume alone this anthology has some merit. This comment was more true in the pre-1980's and the arrival of a little thing called the "www" and the internet. Carry one giant unwieldy book printed on what feels like ultra thin less than "one ply" bathroom paper. Too thin to take notes upon and too large to read from - truly how does one read Chaucer out of this book? I looked at my copy from the 80's and this one and was horrified by the ignorance of the editorial commentary that serves as introductions to the authors and major geo-political-economic shifts in time.
I am sure Chaucer while writing for an illiterate King that he contemplated his anti-feminist stance and his portrayal of the abject degradation of woman at the time of his writing. Really? Yes really its is one of the many examples of ignorance we are asked to swallow by the so called experts on the editorial board. Women were extremely empowered in all areas. This simplistic "world view" that is the guilt complex of educated white - usually American - men is not only inaccurate it casts a shadow on the judgment of the editors in their selections.
Also this is the kind of volume that substitutes for a real class syllabus. Let's lump english lit into this text book and its other editions and make some easy cuts along historical timelines and viola you have an English lit class. I pose the question: if one can tolerate reading Donne why not read him thoroughly and texts that contrast his and those (many) that run circles around his. Let's look at the treatment of language and concepts of sensibility, Nature, Aristotle, God etc....go deep instead of wide, Make students who do not study literature take a survey class that glosses over thousands of important works. Everyone else go deep please.

The best available anthology of for English Literature through the Eighteenth Century. Includes Seamus Heaney's epic translation of Beowulf, the Second Shepherd's Play, King Lear, Dr. Faustus, ALL of Milton's Paradise Lost, The Duchess of Malfi, and many many others.

If books can lead us to whole new worlds, the NAEL leads us to a whole new universe. This is a book that, just as it contents do, truly transcends time. There is so much education, information, and beauty in this book, that it is not a expenditure as much as it is an investment.
This is a book that can fit into any mood you may have on a day to day basis. From the tragic action of Beowulf to the sentiment of Milton to the comedy of Chaucer. This is a book for a lifetime, not a semester.
Pundits who criticize NAEL for it's "perceived" over coverage of poetry, are being short-sighted and unappreciative. One should not question the quantity of literature, but the quality. Those same people would probably criticize Dickens and Steinbeck for being too "wordy".
This book is a must-have for anyone with the smallest amount of passion for English Literature!

This edition of the Norton Anthology should be required for any literate person to own and at least leaf through, if not completely consume. It's a terrific collection of the bests of English literature, with very insightful footnotes on each piece. A good purchase, and was a good choice for my professor, who assigned it as the text for an Eng. Lit course. The only problem was the size - this tome is a monster! Definitely not something to carry to the beach, or even on a plane.

If you really love English literature or you just like reading, this book is great for just that purpose and much more. It is enthralling and provides a tidbit of history in order for the reader to understand different themes in a literary and historical context. It may also encourage you to do further research on any given topic. If you are an English teacher, this would be a good book to use. You will not be disappointed.

For people interested in how our English language came to be, and of words, word origins and the like, this text is the one to have.The footnotes and word descriptions are very helpful in understanding the text.The pages are thin, such as one would find in a bible, but of good quality.This book was required for an upper level English class at LSU in Baton Rouge. Though other texts may be available, this one packs much information into a compact volume. I highly recommend it.

I bought this book for a class in college. I'm not into English literature enough to really be able to say if this is a good book or not. I found it all to be rather boring, which is why I went into the medical field...

Interface: Poetry and Selected Readings, Volume One, 2010

If you love ancient english and reading in a foreign tongue than this book is for you. Some of the words are difficult to understand but that is the challenge in reading ancient literature. Should be read slowly to fully appreciate the beauty of the words. Good job!!!

In graduate school I read and reread this work, studied and re- studied it.

As it contains many the major masterpieces ( or excerpts of them) of English Literature it is a work which lends itself to this kind of reading and rereading. The introductions to each individual writer are also informative and in many cases a help in reading the work.

It is probably still the best one- volume introduction to English Literature that there is.

I'm a university professor, and I've used the Norton anthologies in my surveys of English literature for years. But it's absurd that every few years, a new edition is brought out (with little or no substantive changes), forcing students to buy a new text rather than the used texts that are widely (and cheaply) available. A further absurdity is that the hardcover version of the 7th edition is only two dollars more than the paper. Anyone interested in buying the Norton anthologies for reading pleasure (rather than as a required text) would be just as well suited by a used copy of either the fifth or sixth editions.

I absolutely love that I got the three book set new for the same price that my classmates paid for a used single volume edition at the bookstore. Having the book in three parts makes carrying it around campus much easier considering the single volume anthology could be compared to a cinderblock in size. I am happy with my purchase and glad it arrived on time.

I'm required to have all 3 volumes of this set for school. It's hardly available anywhere and I've a horrible time trying to acquire the full set. Needless to say I was extraordinarily angry to open my package and find only the first volume...

Change your description guys, seriously. I would've been happy if I'd paid to just get the first one, but I assumed I was getting all 3, considering the product title. Fix it.

I must be sensible enough to acknowledge that for volume alone this anthology has some merit. This comment was more true in the pre-1980's and the arrival of a little thing called the "www" and the internet. Carry one giant unwieldy book printed on what feels like ultra thin less than "one ply" bathroom paper. Too thin to take notes upon and too large to read from - truly how does one read Chaucer out of this book? I looked at my copy from the 80's and this one and was horrified by the ignorance of the editorial commentary that serves as introductions to the authors and major geo-political-economic shifts in time.
I am sure Chaucer while writing for an illiterate King that he contemplated his anti-feminist stance and his portrayal of the abject degradation of woman at the time of his writing. Really? Yes really its is one of the many examples of ignorance we are asked to swallow by the so called experts on the editorial board. Women were extremely empowered in all areas. This simplistic "world view" that is the guilt complex of educated white - usually American - men is not only inaccurate it casts a shadow on the judgment of the editors in their selections.
Also this is the kind of volume that substitutes for a real class syllabus. Let's lump english lit into this text book and its other editions and make some easy cuts along historical timelines and viola you have an English lit class. I pose the question: if one can tolerate reading Donne why not read him thoroughly and texts that contrast his and those (many) that run circles around his. Let's look at the treatment of language and concepts of sensibility, Nature, Aristotle, God etc....go deep instead of wide, Make students who do not study literature take a survey class that glosses over thousands of important works. Everyone else go deep please.

The best available anthology of for English Literature through the Eighteenth Century. Includes Seamus Heaney's epic translation of Beowulf, the Second Shepherd's Play, King Lear, Dr. Faustus, ALL of Milton's Paradise Lost, The Duchess of Malfi, and many many others.

If books can lead us to whole new worlds, the NAEL leads us to a whole new universe. This is a book that, just as it contents do, truly transcends time. There is so much education, information, and beauty in this book, that it is not a expenditure as much as it is an investment.
This is a book that can fit into any mood you may have on a day to day basis. From the tragic action of Beowulf to the sentiment of Milton to the comedy of Chaucer. This is a book for a lifetime, not a semester.
Pundits who criticize NAEL for it's "perceived" over coverage of poetry, are being short-sighted and unappreciative. One should not question the quantity of literature, but the quality. Those same people would probably criticize Dickens and Steinbeck for being too "wordy".
This book is a must-have for anyone with the smallest amount of passion for English Literature!

This edition of the Norton Anthology should be required for any literate person to own and at least leaf through, if not completely consume. It's a terrific collection of the bests of English literature, with very insightful footnotes on each piece. A good purchase, and was a good choice for my professor, who assigned it as the text for an Eng. Lit course. The only problem was the size - this tome is a monster! Definitely not something to carry to the beach, or even on a plane.

If you really love English literature or you just like reading, this book is great for just that purpose and much more. It is enthralling and provides a tidbit of history in order for the reader to understand different themes in a literary and historical context. It may also encourage you to do further research on any given topic. If you are an English teacher, this would be a good book to use. You will not be disappointed.

For people interested in how our English language came to be, and of words, word origins and the like, this text is the one to have.The footnotes and word descriptions are very helpful in understanding the text.The pages are thin, such as one would find in a bible, but of good quality.This book was required for an upper level English class at LSU in Baton Rouge. Though other texts may be available, this one packs much information into a compact volume. I highly recommend it.

I bought this book for a class in college. I'm not into English literature enough to really be able to say if this is a good book or not. I found it all to be rather boring, which is why I went into the medical field...

I am writing this not neccesarily as a review, but as a reply to some of the other reviews on the Norton Anthology of English Literature. The NAEL consists of mainly poetry is because for the most part that IS English Literature (Literature does not mean just BOOKS you know). In fact, the novel didn't exist until the 18th century. As for why it's assigned in classes (even if you don't read the entire thing)? Well, maybe your professor figured that it would be a valuable referrence book, as well as a life-long companion-- which it is.

This anthology has some great literature contained within its bindings, but I find some of the changes made since the sixth edition to be questionable; I was very disgruntled to see the Shakespearian songs taken out. The index and table of contents also have something to be desired. It was especially frustrating for me, as a college student, to look at a syllabus created by professor who does not provide us with page numbers to look for poems that were in the anthology, but not in the index. It is very annoying to spend more time looking for a peice than I actually do reading it. The translation of Beowolf is very good, and easy to understand; it was well adapted into modern English without losing its rhyme scheme.

As an undergraduate, I used to think that the canon of English literature was as fixed as were the stars tacked onto the heavens. Now as a professor myself, I realize that the stars above truly rotate, often in wild, unpredictable ways. If any reviewer wishes to review the latest edition of the NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, that reviewer would find it wise to compare the evolution of the series from the first edition to the last. What changes have the editors wrought over the decades? What conclusions can anyone draw from these changes? Now these are weighty questions indeed, and there may be no adequate reply readily available. But I shall start with the obvious. (a) For whom is the Norton intended? Clearly the primary target audience is the undergraduate taking a two semester course in Masterpieces of English Literature. A secondary target would be those seeking to prepare for the GRE in English Literature. I think we can discount the second as a concern for the editors. Now who are the authors most likely to be analyzed in a one or two semester course, given the time limitations of a typical 15 meeting schedule? Some authors and works should be a given: Beowulf, Chaucer, More, Sidney, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Raleigh, Donne, Jonson, Marvell, Milton, Bacon, Hobbes, Butler, Dryden, Swift, Pope, Gray, Johnson, Boswell. That's quite a mouthful to digest in one semester. And look whom I have omitted: the Gawain poet, Everyman, Hooker, Wyatt & Surrey, Spenser, Skelton, Campion, Herrick, Herbert, Vaughn, Suckling, Burton, Bunyan, Defoe, Addison & Steele, Goldsmith. I defy any teacher to cover in any meaningful way even a smattering of the given, let alone the omitted. The question boils down to numbers, which in turn boil down to the ever shifting winds of literary political correctness. I can sense a change in the way this wind blows as I peruse the evolution of the Norton. Authors come and authors go, but bulk numbers remain. It is almost as if the editors wish to justify the inflated retail price by cramming in nearly 2,000 pages of literature, knowing full well that the vast majority of works and authors included will almost certainly never be used. And this brings me to (b). How to make the book more user friendly?
There are some things the editors are doing right. I like the extended discussions of each period. These historical analyses are not mere digressions; they are needed to place the literature of that era in context, and the failure of the reader to do so will merely convince him that literature is not much different from science: a bunch of works, unconnected to anything. I also like the brief introductions to the various authors; they too are instructive. What I suggest now is something that is so commonsensical that I am sure it will never come to light. Back in high school, my lit texts were written as a sort of junior version of the Norton, and I do not use 'junior' as a pejorative. These high school texts were uncluttered with the notion that text should not have response to text. As I reread my high school texts, I am often amazed at the thoughtful questions and guides that followed each selection. Apparently, the Norton editors do not allow for undergraduates to have a guide of some sort. Well, I suggest that much of the twin Nortons can be safely cut down by a judicious excising of, let's face it, unread authors of interest only to old fogies like me. Why not replace these authors with questions, guides, topics to pursue, just the sort of things that come in handy in really getting at the core meaning of literature? The answer, of course, is that for the editors to do what I suggest would require them to relearn the basic fears and inadequacies that they probably felt as unlearned undergraduates when they first realized that the literary stars in the sky are not fixed at all, but depend for their meaning on the trickiest of all props: human variability of opinion. Since that is not going to happen, I fear that all future generations of students will have to groan under the weighty mass of bulk pages and undigested ideas.

Don't pick this book up if you want a Sunday read or something. This anthology is for serious minded academic folk who want to school themselves in writing from England. I can't imagine why you would get it if you were not a student.

In any case, it gives you many works, and all are preceded by very well written introductions, including information on the author's life.

I am considering keeping it even though my course is over.

I ordered this book for my literature studies and it is an excellent resource or English poetry, prose and literature. Not only was it more economical to order from the store, but it came sooner than expected. If you want one of the best companions for lit, this it the one.

This was a required textbook for a college course. Once again I saved $$$$ by buying my textbooks, new and used, at the store and another major on-line auction house. Why anyone would line up like lemmings to get slaughter by the high prices and poor service at college bookstores is beyond my meager comprehension. While everyone else was spending hours in line holding 20 pounds of books, I was one clicking and having my books in a couple days.

I used this anthology in college and made the mistake of selling it back to the bookstore. Years later, I bought a copy for my personal collection. I love the wide selection, the notes about the author, time period, place, etc.

There seems to be nothing wrong or displeasing about this book aside from its overall dimensions. The stories are assembled well. There is even a nice history about the authors in some instances. Like I said previous, its one gigantic book. I think it would have been perfect to maybe cut it in half, labling them "volume 1a" and "volume 1b". Oh well, its still a pretty good book.

I really like the material within the book. I did not realize that it was one huge book instead of 2-3 smaller books. It is awkward to carry to class so if you need a book to handle with comfort get the separate volumes. As for content it is very good!

An anthology that is priced at $59.56 and only contains three pages? The publishers need to do some SERIOUS revisions to their presentations. I hope these errors are rectified as well as the other demurrals posted by reviewers.

I got this book for my British Literature II class for Fall 2012. It was horrible. First, the book is extremely thick and a paperback. Why have a thick book like this be a paperback?! Plus our professor rarely used the textbook. We did read some literature in the textbook, but very little. The majority of the stuff we read came out of the two supplementary books we had to have and a collection of stories the professor had loose-leafed. If you are a literature professor who teaches this subject, take this advice from a student: don't go with this textbook.

because carrying this book is like carrying a brick or two. It's so ridiculously fat I can't believe my teacher picked this book for our class. Mainly a collection of poems, plays, and short stories from the great writers of Old english literature, my favorites so far have been Beowulf and Sir Gawain. The book initself could have somewhat larger font when it comes to the footnotes and the summaries of the authors lives often at the beginning before reading a collection of works by that author. other than that, no problems with the book really.

In perfect condition (new from the store). The new hardback book that I purchased from the store was cheaper (after shipping charges) than the used paperback book at a local book store. Can't beat that. Fast shipping as well. Thanks again the store.com.

I used this for a class the book is filled with a plethora of literature some 2700 pages which are If I am not mistake in chronological order from the early works of England to some of the recent. This includes very well known texts such as Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Sir Gawain and The Green Knight.( I will try bring about an in depth review of this soon )

I bought this used as a homeschool school resource. Norton's books are great; I love them as they are packed full. The seller disclosed well that the book was a bit beat up. In hind sight, I would should have chosen a hard cover version. This book in paper back form is so thick that packing tape or duct tape is needed to keep the spine in tack with heavy use. This in not a reflection on the seller; it's just a really thick book for paperback binding.

very nice vacuum sealerabsolutely satisfied and It's so easy to use that I was vacuum sealing practically everything. my food are safety and really nice product.Make sure to leave enough room at the top of the bag for the sealer to vacuum the air out and seal correctly. It is great way to start saving money. Excellent way to stored food . Meats,fruits, vegetables ,Show no signs of spoilage or freezer burn long after commercially packaged sealed items. highly recommended,

As a white student in an African-American Literature class, this book helped me to understand a different culture. I learned from the stories, as well as the background information provided about the authors.