The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction, Shorter Eleventh Edition Reviews

• This is far more than a textbook

  
  By A2YJAHP1NBM10E on 2001-05-22
  The editors of this edition are to be commended. The essays they have collected are a broad cross spectrum of mostly American writings. The subject matter, approach and style of the essays assures that anyone who reads them will find more than a little to capture the imagination and stimulate thinking. Instructors who are used to a follow-the-arrows type of reading/writing text may not enjoy this work. There is very little intrusion on the part of the editors. They do not give step-by-step instructions for the use of the essays. Each work is followed by a few questions that may be used in a classroom setting and only one suggestion for writing based on the essay read. However, for instructors who have built their own courses in reading-based composition, this edition offers an embarrassment of riches to choose from. The text does not "guide" the reader into thinking about an essay according to a preconceived plan. Because the student approaches the essays without coaching (except for what a classroom instructor might give), the ensuing class discussion and the writing that is generated is far more "genuine" than with many other texts. Actually, calling this a textbook may be a mistake. I have lent my copy to many people who are not in college, and they have enjoyed the selections sufficiently to buy their own copies.
  
  

• Interesting Collection of Essays & more

  
  By on 2000-04-16
  OPINION: I found the this collection of essays to be quite interesting and stimulating. I was able to relate to or understand the viewpoint of many of the essays. Overall, the authors write/speak with maturity, confidence, emotion, experience, and or understanding.

  QUICK OVERVIEW: The collection address a pretty broad range of topics from a pretty broad range of authors. However, realize that the collection is not a comprehensive effort to entertain all views or elements addressed for each topic.

  ORGANIZATION and SELECTION: Essays are grouped by topics addressed; these include: language, ethics, politics, science, etc. The pool of authors are mainly American contemporaries (i.e. Angelou, Asimov, MLK, Jr.). However, it does include some British authors (i.e. Orwell, Bacon) and people from a more distant past (i.e. Plato, Aesop). The table of contents lists the essays by topic and by type (narrative, descriptive, expository, etc.). One very minor and slight annoyance is that finding an essay by author or title is easiest when using the index. (There also are short biographies of the authors in the back of the book.)
  
  

• Its a school book

  
  By on 2002-06-27
  I bought this book for a college class and the next semester they changed the book. I read some things on my own and found some good but I don't think it was worth the money. I still have it though because when I read it, it makes me feel smart. Plus they come out with new ones all the time...dont buy it new. Just get a used one. All they change is the cover and a couple inserts so the pages are different and you think its different than the old one. Dont be fooled.
  
  

• Even A Liberal Can Write A Good Essay

  
  By on 2002-01-15
  Although the editorial selection clearly slants to the left, and is bubbling with postmodernism, many of the essays here are quite enjoyable, especially the humorous prose of James Thurber and Mark Twain, and George Orwell's "Politics and the English Lanuage" is delightfully informative. The best expositionary anthology I've yet seen.
  
  

• good read.

  
  By A1HKW637LA8V9J on 2004-02-29
  We've used this in my english class a lot. Someone is selected to analyze an essay, write about its style, content, and other features, and then the student writes down a couple discussion questions and then leads a discussion each friday about the essay. I have found each of the essays informative and educational. Some are rather dry, some are sarcastic, some are flat out funny. There are essays of length (10+ pages) and then some that cover only a few pages. The essays cover such subtopics as patriotism, nature, education, politics, and forms of writing. Combining all of these essays together into one book leads to a great read that, finding a way to suit anyone's interests.
  
  

• A Writer's Reference
• The Bedford Handbook
• The Little, Brown Handbook (10th Edition) (MyCompLab Series)
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Sixth Edition
• New McGraw-Hill Handbook (hardcover) with Student Access to Catalyst 2.0