The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

by M. H. Abrams (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The Sixth Edition of The Norton Anthology of English Literature continues to be the indispensable anthology. Like its predecessors, the Sixth Edition offers the best in English literature from the classic to the contemporary in a readable, teachable format. More selections by women and twentieth-century writers, a richer offering of contextual writings, apparatus fully revised to reflect today's scholarship, and a new larger trim size make the Sixth Edition the choice for breadth, depth, and quality.

The Editors
M. H. Abrams, General Editor, Emeritus, Cornell University
E. Talbot Donaldson, Late of Indiana University
Alfred David, Emeritus, Indiana University
Hallett Smith, Formerly with The Huntington Library
Barbara K. Lewalski, Harvard University
Robert M. Adams, Late of University of California, Los Angeles
George M. Logan, Queen's University
Samuel Holt Monk, Late of the University of Minnesota
Lawrence Lipking, Northwestern University
Jack Stillinger, University of Illinois
George H. Ford, Late of the University of Rochester
Carol T. Christ, University of California at Berkeley
David Daiches, Emeritus, University of Sussex
Jon Stallworthy, Oxford University

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2600 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 6th edition (April 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393962873
• ISBN-13: 978-0393962871
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #849,004 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immaculate, October 12, 2000

By	Manuel Haas (near Munich, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

Of course as a student one is bound to hesitate before spending fifty quid on a book, but this one is absolutely worth ist. Abrams and Greenblatt have not just gathered what is indispensable in English literature; the Norton Anthology features brilliant introductions and short biographies, which are concise and readable. All the works presented are scrupulously annotated. And finally the reader gets suggestions for further reading which really help.

There may be a bias towards poetry and high literature in the selection. Poetry, however, is the only genre in which an anthology of this size can give you almost everything you want to know. Individual edititons of classic novels or plays, however, are a lot easier to get hold of than books of poetry, so I feel the editors' choice is fully justified. You will find yourself turn back to the Norton Anthology even long after you have finished college; it is a book that opens up new worlds.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars New Edition is Overpriced and Unnecessary, January 25, 2000

By	Steven E. Cole "stevenecole" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I'm a university professor, and I've used the Norton anthologies in my surveys of English literature for years. But it's absurd that every few years, a new edition is brought out (with little or no substantive changes), forcing students to buy a new text rather than the used texts that are widely (and cheaply) available. A further absurdity is that the hardcover version of the 7th edition is only two dollars more than the paper. Anyone interested in buying the Norton anthologies for reading pleasure (rather than as a required text) would be just as well suited by a used copy of either the fifth or sixth editions.

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cornerstone of the Canon, January 21, 2000

By	N. Imbracsio "doctoral student" (Medford, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 1 (Paperback)

I am writing this not neccesarily as a review, but as a reply to some of the other reviews on the Norton Anthology of English Literature. The NAEL consists of mainly poetry is because for the most part that IS English Literature (Literature does not mean just BOOKS you know). In fact, the novel didn't exist until the 18th century. As for why it's assigned in classes (even if you don't read the entire thing)? Well, maybe your professor figured that it would be a valuable referrence book, as well as a life-long companion-- which it is.