The Norton Sampler, Sixth Edition [Paperback]

Thomas Cooley (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393978826 | ISBN-13: 978-0393978827 | Publication Date: January 2, 2003 | Edition: Sixth Edition

W. W. Norton & Company is proud to present the Sixth Edition of The Norton Sampler.

As a rhetorically arranged collection of short essays for composition, our Sampler echoes the cloth samplers once done in colonial America, presenting the basic patterns of writing for students to practice just as schoolchildren once practiced their stitches and ABCs on needlework samplers.  This new edition shows students that description, narration, and the other patterns of exposition are not just abstract concepts used in composition classrooms but are in fact the way we think—and write.

The Norton Sampler contains 63 carefully chosen readings—classics as well as more recent pieces, essays along with a few real-world texts—all demonstrating how writers use the modes of discourse for many varied purposes.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Thomas Cooley (PhD, Indiana University) is professor of English at The Ohio State University. In addition to Back to the Lake, he is the editor of The Norton Sampler, The Norton Critical Edition of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the author of several other books, among them Educated Lives: The Rise of Modern Autobiography in America and The Ivory Leg in the Ebony Cabinet: Madness, Race, and Gender in Victorian America.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Sixth Edition edition (January 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393978826
• ISBN-13: 978-0393978827
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,819 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caught Me By Surprise, January 5, 2010

By 

veeerules "V" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Norton Sampler, Sixth Edition (Paperback)

I bought The Norton Sampler for an English 101 course at a community college. Amazon's price was the same as a used edition from my college bookstore, so I opted for the new version. I usually don't mind reading textbooks for classes, but I liked this one enough that I have read it purely for enjoyment.

The first two essays by Annie Dillard were a perfect introduction; it was helpful to read her final essay as well as the story behind it. I truly learned by example, as is the book's intention, and Dillard's vivid details covering inspiration, writing, and editing set the tone for the rest of the book. I did not enjoy every essay as much as the first two, but the variety of samples presented gave me a good idea of why I liked certain ones. Some essays are written by students, others by famous authors, and the essays are grouped together by type. An essay by Isaac Asimov is featured in the Definition category; one by David Sedaris is grouped with Compare and Contrast essays. Each category has a small section defining the type of essay which include example writing assignments and common applications for the essay type. The author, Thomas Cooley, includes a short intro for each essay and several questions, some for discussion, some for writing. The questions were often thought-provoking and covered the philosophical to the grammatical. I questioned my feelings towards the opinions stated in the essays and also why certain words or phrases were used. I recommend this book to anyone that usually enjoys anthologies, short stories, or essays, not just students and teachers.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The essay is alive and well written, April 22, 2001

By 

Nancy A. Buell (Black Butte Ranch, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition (Paperback)

Norton Readers have long been a staple of university literature and composition courses, which is no doubt the original purpose of this volume (hence the extended title, "Short Essays for Composition"). If you don't let this deter you, you will be rewarded with a collection of some of the best of American essays with a plus. This is not only a collection of well written essays spanning early and modern nonfiction, but you have the bonus of modern prose stylists such as Annie Dillard and Barry Lopez talking about the pieces that are included: how they get ideas, how they craft their work, why they write in nonfiction. A satisfying and interesting collection, well worth reading and passing along to others. Great for teachers and students interested in learning about nonfiction as well, as nonfiction as a genre is the organizing schema of this volume.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars School Book, April 6, 2002

By 

Mike Gorski (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition (Paperback)

A collection of essays assembled by type and style of writing.
The book instruvts how to write common essay types by presenting the reader with a few examples of each kind. The cool part is the commentary by the authors of some of the essays as to what they were thinking when they wrote them and how they went about the writing process.

Good use for an Intro to Writing college level class.