Encyclopedia of great writers

Tom Payne writes in the introduction that putting this book together was a learning experience and invites you to flip through and marvel at the variety of countries, genres, time periods, and writers. How is this book useful to the average reader? Perhaps to discover new writers to read? Pick one writer at random and read one of his/her works. Read a second work or pick another writer. Start alphabetically or reverse alphabetically and read your way through the book. Each writer is accorded one page: one photo or drawing, one quote by or about the writer, a list of master works, and a brief biographical and professional summary. All in all, this makes a great compilation of outstanding writers. No, they are not all there. One of my favorites, Flannery O'Connor, is not included. But as the author explains: "Still, the list of names should introduce new and surprising figures....and excite the reader into finding out more..." (7). The first writer is Aeschylus, the last is Emile Zola. In between are 385 more writers. The copyright date is 1997, making the volume eleven years old. Of course, writers published after 1997 are not included. Tom Payne states his purpose: "Each entry...has been an attempt to answer the question: Why should I read this author?" And: "No book exists independently of other texts; one book leads to other books, and this one hopes to lead to many" (7). This is a great reference book to have in your home to use again and again. To peruse sample pages, please click on the title to go to the product page, then click on "customer images."