The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction, Shorter Eleventh Edition (Paperback)

by Linda Peterson (Editor), John C. Brereton (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
No other reader is so carefully and intelligently chosen. -- Anna Cole, Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH

So much choice...it is almost as if I had chosen the readings myself. -- Maureen Andrews, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI

Still sets the standard! -- Allston James, Monterey Peninsula College, Monterey, CA --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Read by millions of students since it was first published in 1965, The Norton Reader is the bestselling collection of its kind. With readings in a wide variety of genres, subjects, and styles, it offers the largest and most thoughtfully chosen collection of essays for composition students today. The Twelfth Edition has been carefully revised, with 25 percent of its readings new and an extensive new introduction to reading and writing with guidelines to all the elements cited in the WPA Outcomes Statement. Available in two editions: a full edition, with 206 readings; and a shorter edition, with 123.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton; 11 edition (December 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393978079
• ISBN-13: 978-0393978070
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,679 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is far more than a textbook, May 22, 2001

By	Lydia Kraus (St. John's University, Staten Island, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Expository Prose, Tenth Shorter Edition (Paperback)

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.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Collection of Essays & more, April 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Expository Prose, Tenth Edition (Paperback)

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.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good read., February 29, 2004

By	C. Hughes "Eric Hughes" (pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Expository Prose, Tenth Shorter Edition (Paperback)

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.