The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction

The Norton Reader has introduced millions of writing students to the essay as a genre. First published in 1965, it is still the best-selling thematic reader—and the only thematic reader that also supports a genre-based approach. The Thirteenth Edition introduces a new generation of editors, almost 50 new essays, and a unique new website that allows readers to sort and search for readings by theme, genre, mode, keyword, and more.

About the Author :
Linda Peterson (Ph.D., Brown University) was Professor of English at Yale University and was published widely on nonfiction prose, notably life-writing and women's authorship. She co-directed the Bass Writing Program at Yale for twenty-five years and served as president of the Council of Writing Program Administrators. John Brereton (Ph.D., Rutgers University) is a Professor of English, Emeritus, at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Previously he served as Executive Director of the Calderwood Writing Initiative at the Boston Athenæum. He has taught writing at Harvard University, Wayne State University, Brandeis University, and the City University of New York. His scholarship focuses on the history of teaching English literature and composition. Joseph Bizup (Ph.D., Indiana University) is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program at Boston University. He previously taught and directed writing programs at Yale University and Columbia University in the City of New York. His scholarly interests include nineteenth-century literature, especially nonfiction prose, and writing studies, especially genre, style, and argumentation. Anne E. Fernald is Professor of English and Women's Studies at Fordham University. She is the author of Virginia Woolf: Feminism and the Reader and editor of a textual edition of Mrs. Dalloway for Cambridge University Press. Her articles have appeared in Feminist Studies, Modern Fiction Studies, Guernica, Open Letters Monthly, and multiple edited collections. Melissa A. Goldthwaite (Ph.D., The Ohio State University), General Editor, is Professor of English at Saint Joseph’s University, where she teaches composition, creative writing, and rhetorical theory. Her books include Books That Cook: The Making of a Literary Meal (New York University Press, 2014), The Norton Pocketbook of Writing by Students (2010), Surveying the Literary Landscapes of Terry Tempest Williams (University of Utah Press, 2003), and The St. Martin’s Guide to Teaching Writing (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003, 2008, 2014).

Review :
"We chose The Norton Reader for the breadth and excellence of its readings-and for the way those readings foster critical thinking and thoughtful writing. It's a book that prompts both instructors and students to think about many of the most important questions being discussed across the academy today. And it gives our very diverse faculty plenty of choice at a reasonable price." -- Alan Ainsworth, Houston Community College "Still sets the standard." -- Allston James, Monterey Peninsula College "The depth, selection, and range of choices in The Norton Reader are exhilarating. I often feel like I am in a candy store and have to make very difficult choices from all the goodies." -- Linda Goldberg, Stevens Institute of Technology