Customer Reviews

Gertrude Stein: Writings, 1903 to 1932, Vol. 1 (Library of America)

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There is no arguing the fact that the Library of America editions render a great service to the canon of American literature. In Gertrude Stein's case, though, I must question the editorial decision to leave out to pivotal works of her career: The Making of Americans and Tender Buttons. The former was her huge, largely-ignored, modernist novel written way before Joyce's Ulysees, before Cubism got its start, before Proust completed his oeuvre. In it you see not only the development of her writing style, but also the mechanisms of an avant-garde mind at work. It is ridiculous to leave it out of any anthology of Stein's work. The latter - Tender Buttons, was also much discussed at the time of its appearance in the Cubist era. She attempted in words what Picasso and his contemporaries were accomplishing in painting and sculpture. Successful or not, it again merits a place in -a must, I would say - any comprehensive anthology of Gertrude Stein. Beautiful as the Library of America edition is, without these two works it falls flat on its face.

Both of the Library of America editions of the Stein works are great- very well organized, nicely laid out, and include a great biographical section at the end. The only reason I give them 4 stars is I'm not a *huge* Stein fan. If you are, then pick these up- definitly the definitive collection to have.