Customer Reviews

The Library of America Collection: 2012 Edition

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I started subscribing to the LOA when I began my masters degree in English during the early 90's, and all 183 volumes now proudly sit on the shelves of my dual bookcases (the collection has grown so much, I will need a third soon!) in my living room as a testament to my love of literature, history, and drama.

With these volumes I rekindle my fondness for the gaity of Fitzgerald, remain stylistically challenged by Faulkner, recite and relish the drama and pathos of Eugene O'Neill, and rediscover the raw naturalism of Frank Norris and Jack London of late nineteenth century San Francisco.

For those of us who have elected to subscribe directly from LOA rather than purchase these volumes from Amazon or through a local retailer like Borders, we save about $5.00-$7.00 per volume. I have the whole series, and started purchasing these over 13 years ago so you don't need a calculator to imagine how the savings accrue over time.

This is a set that you and your family will pass down for generations to come. They are a pleasure to read and hold from the quality of the cloth bindings to the clear typeface and the deluxe slipcase/cover available to LOA subscribers only. (A good investment, if you treasure your books as I do.) Besides, how many times can you read your Penguin Classics before the pages start falling out?

With so many volumes to discuss here, suffice to say having these works at my disposal in these beautiful, authoritative, and durable editions allowed me to craft some wonderful essays for my graduate-level seminars and my graduate thesis. The dual volume set on crime stories and the 2 volume set devoted to Raymond Chandler are, of course, some personal favorites. And reading the screenplay of "Double Indemnity" is just as enjoyable as watching the film. (LOA needs to put together a set of James Cain's stories as well--certainly the author of "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Mildred Pierce" deserves a volume of his own.) Hmmmmm...I wonder if James Ellroy will ever get his own LOA edition?

The LOA's collection on early American authors like Franklin, Paine, Madison and Jefferson is exemplary, and the correspondence and speeches from George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Abraham Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt are also engaging and fascinating to read. The same holds true for the two editions devoted to the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence---its all there from the individual letters and correspondence of all the signers to Jefferson's intitial drafts of our nations's own birth certificate.

The collections of journalistic writings from both WWII and Vietnam are invaluable to any student of history who wishes to truly understand these pivotal wars and their impact on America and its role in world today.

The LOA is a national treasure. I love the most recent editions with a focus on James Agee's film criticism, the landmark works of Phillip Roth, and even the celebrated tales of H.P. Lovecraft! Not just a purchase, but an investment in knowledge. Great stuff.

It is a staggering collection, better suited for libraries than the individual collector. I have to wonder if one can ever get through so many volumes. I have about 20 of the volumes already, and have enjoyed them immensely, as they provide excellent coverage of great American writers, political thinkers and essayists. I find the writings of Washington, Jefferson, Madison and the Constitutional Debates most fascinating, as they get to the heart of the so-called "original intent" of the Constitution. I also have copies of late 19th century writers like Melville and Whitman. However, my favorite remains the complete writings and illustrations of James Thurber, from which I draw endless pleasure. At this hefty price tag, I have to say it is better to buy the volumes you think best suit your interests. There really isn't that much of a "savings" in buying the complete set.

What started out as a series of authoritative texts of the major literary figures of the 19th century (Twain, Hawthorne, Melville, Cooper, Poe, Henry James) soon expanded to lesser fictional writers of that century (Washington Irving, Stowe, Jewett, Howells). Then more modern writers were added (Faulkner, Cather, O'Neill, Dreiser, London), followed by non-fiction volumes (Parkman's works, the writings of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, Grant and Sherman's memoirs, the political writings regarding the formation of the Constitution, William James's philosophical works), until most recently collections of WW II and Vietnam reportage, baseball writings, mystery novels, and a large array of modern works, including poetry, have all been included - 183 volumes and counting.

The Library of America is truly a magnificent series. Each volume is huge (1,000 pages plus), often collecting three or four complete novels (depending on length) or scores of stories or articles or hundreds of poems; completeness is a trademark of the series. Extensive notes accompany all the texts, and the editions chosen for inclusion are meant to be definitive. Each volume is instantly recognizable due to the uniform white-on-black book jackets. One of my favorite things about these books is the fact that they are so well made with sewn bindings that should last a very long time; also, they lay flat when opened (honest!). Whether you can pop for the whole series at once or hunt them down one by one, this collection of America's finest writings in many different genres is the best there is and probably will never be surpassed.

I have little to add to the praise that others have for the series--the content is well chosen, the books are well-made, and all in all, the Library of America is a remarkable value for money.

Since most of the other reviewers seem to be basing their reviews on some number of individually purchased volumes rather than the huge set, they have missed one of the most striking things about this item--that the 202 volumes arrive in one 300 pound box! This is a bit awkward, though fortunately the delivery company will bring the box inside the front door for you.

But the single huge box does make the arrival of the set seem a more dramatic event. If you're ordering this for your family, I suggest arranging the delivery for a time when the kids are home--getting them to help unpack the box and rewarding them with first crack at, say, Tom Sawyer or Little Women.

This set will supply everyone in the house with years of good reading, and perhaps a lasting memory of "the day the books came".

Having purchased this wonderful series first through ebay and other book websites,second through local second hand stores, and third from Amazon, I haven't found an uninteresting author yet. The discovery of the quality and quantity of great American writing over four centuries has been a great experience.

The quality of the physical product, the book itself, makes it even more desirable.

This is an outstanding cultural project which presents the best American writing in solid, durable volumes . It covers the major American writers, and those of what might be called 'the second- line'. It naturally contains by and large the work of writers no longer living, but has already put out volumes on a few living writers.
It is strange but to me these volumes somewhow seem to come from another time and another world. First of all the length of the volumes as they often contain three or four whole works. Second, the very solidity and classiness of the book which give the impression of being created as something to endure, and as something which might be kept in one's home as sign of both material and cultural wealth.
This seems in some way a throwback to another time. We after all live in the Age of Instant everything. And the Internet tends to make us move from one thing to another so rapidly that we find it difficult to have the kind of dedicated attention required to truly appreciate such volumes.
This is of course in no way vitiates this monumental cultural project which presents the best America has 'thought and said' to the world.

Have so far purchased "Reporting World War II" (both volumes) and "Reporting Vietnam" (both volumes). I have never experienced history the way it is presented by the war correspondents who's experiences are transcripted as they unfold.

I don't know if I'd jump into purchasing the entire set but for a history buff who desires to "experience" events as they happen I cannot give a higher recommendation than the war correspondent collection.

I own several volumes from the Library of America Collection. I am thoroughly impressed with them and plan to purchase more. Although few would be able to afford the entire collection at once, those who can (and do) will not be disappointed. These are well-made books which use the best editions for the text. The publisher has been careful to explore the scope of American writing from autobiography to fiction to politics and history while maintaining exacting standards of what is included.

prominently shelved next to my Complete Works of John Burroughs, nothing like the tactile feel of a book in hand, with the patented crisp text font that sets Library of America apart, I've been devouring the nature titles first, Muir, Thoreau, London...not excessively expensive, considering an encylopedia set was scammed off on thousands of buyers until the advent of the internet for half as much as this series....