One Hundred Great Essays (Penguin Academics Series)

...to read this collection of essays thoroughly and try the exercises at the end of each essay to develop my writing skills. This book contains an eclectic assortment of essays by a diverse group of writers. I was glad to meet this book's acquaintance while substitute-teaching a high-school English Literature class and had to own it after I read an essay on naps. This book does not disappoint...

I got this for my daughter for school and it was great quality,price, and condition. It is especially great if you are interested in essays. She thought it was ok but i liked it. A great buy.

If you are an instructor of advanced English Composition or a literature class, this volume, edited by Robert DiYanni, is very comprehensive and represents a wide range of subjects and styles. The anthology includes writers like: James Baldwin, Stephen Jay Gould, E.B. White, Langston Hughes, Gertrude Ehrlich, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, George Orwell, and Maxine Hong Kingston. I might not recommend this book for an introduction to literature or introduction to expository prose because it is too overwhelming, and one would never be able to cover even one-third of the essays. However, in a more advanced class, this would fit in quite well. I don't always agree with the commentaries that precede each essay, and I don't find all the "Possibilities for writing" questions after each essay that valuable. However, most of them have some relevance. All in all, "One Hundred Great Essays" by Robert DiYanni is a worthwhile and practical collection that will appeal to teachers and students alike. Rocco Dormarunno, College of New Rochelle

I give up. There's no way I can communicate, within a reasonable investment of my time, the many great things about this book. But if you've an interest in the essay genre, and have not read it, you're doing yourself a great disservice. Reviewing the table of contents removes any need for me to comment on the actual essays. From staples like Montaigne and Lamb to contemporary pieces from Dave Berry and Tom Wolfe-the editor has presented a fresh variety of both content and form. He leaves you to beat any one of these essayists into the ground on your own time, and instead lifts you up on his shoulders to have a look around. In my estimation, the book's best quality is its ability to guide you through the process of reading essays analytically; as well as guiding you through these works individually without shoving the editor's interpretation down your throat. Exercises for analytical reading, notes on the authors, notes on the individual works-it's got it all.This book holds something valuable for everyone. William Dylan Powell