Anthologies

Biographical anthology of famous historical leaders and heroes. Edited for children: Michelangelo, Mark Twain, Helen Keller, Queen Elizabeth II, and many more.

Prose and Poetry of the American West is an extraordinarily comprehensive collection of short stories, poems, and essays about the American West that represents the extensive contributions of all its people: men, women, natives, and immigrants. The more than fifty authors included are listed according to their birth-dates; and their production, spanning four and a half centuries, is divided into four periods. Work defines each period and shows how selected authors exemplify it. Among those representing the Emergence Period (1540–1832) of explorers and pioneers entering the American West (and a new state of consciousness) are Pedro de Castañeda, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Jedediah Smith, and Walt Whitman. The Mythopoeic Period (1833–1889) is represented by, among others, Helen Hunt Jackson, Mark Twain, Bret Harte, Andy Adams, Owen Wister, Black Elk, Luther Standing Bear, Stephen Crane, Willa Cather, and John C. Neihardt. In the Neo-mythic Period (1890–1914), such authors as Thomas Hornsby Ferril, Man Sandoz, Frank Waters, Dorothy Johnson, Walter Van Tilburg Clark, Wallace Stegner, Wright Morris, and William Stafford begin revising the old myths of the American West. Finally, in the Neo-western Period (1914 to the present) Edward Abbey, Gary Snyder, James Welch, Jimmy Santiago Baca, and others demonstrate how the land west of the ninety-eighth meridian has shaped the creative consciousness. This admirable anthology, filling a need long felt by readers, shows writers singing about the American West, the land of dreams; then recording great deeds in it; and finally turning to examine their thoughts about it.

Integrating selections by gay and lesbian teenagers with older writers' reflections on growing up lesbian or gay, this anthology features works by James Baldwin, Rita Mae Brown, Questin Crisp, Audre Lorde, Martina Navratilova, and David Leavitt.

Includes works by such poets as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Syvia Plath, and William Blake, and offers tips on reading these pieces out loud

Poetry helps us across the world's narrow bridges, but when we slip, it helps us not to be afraid. Here is a collection of some of the most intense poems ever written, to guide us, to lead us, to hold on to as we fall. Poems are earth-shattering when, as Emily Dickinson put it, "I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off." Liz Rosenberg has selected poems of passion and yearning, of birth and death that do just that: they hurt, but they also heal. For, over and over, the poets return to love, the mysterious, perhaps limitless feeling that binds us to the earth and may lead us beyond. As Galway Kinnell tells it, "The wages of dying is love." The reward of reading great poetry is a form of love, too, and this collection is a chance to feel that, again and again.

From Washington Irving to Zora Neale Hurston, Edgar Allan Poe to Allen Ginsberg, more than one hundred writers of the twentieth century pay testament to the unique charms and foibles of Manhattan, in an annotated hundredth-anniversary anthology.

“Excellent” poetry and prose about physicians and their patients, by Raymond Carver, Kay Redfield Jamison, Rachel Naomi Remen, and more ( Library Journal ). A Life in Medicine collects stories, poems, and essays by and for those in the healing profession, who are struggling to keep up with the science while staying true to the humanitarian goals at the heart of their work. Organized around the central themes of altruism, knowledge, skill, and duty, the book includes contributions from well-known authors, doctors, nurses, practitioners, and patients. Provocative and moving pieces address what it means to care for a life in a century of unprecedented scientific advances, examining issues of hope and healing from both ends of the stethoscope. “An anthology of lasting appeal to those interested in medicine, well-written literature, and a sympathetic understanding of human life.” — Booklist

Full of observations natives will appreciate, but also the ideal souvenir for tourists, this book is designed with vintage art and packed with literary excerpts, poems, facts, songs, quotes, legends, and recipes celebrating the Golden State. Literary Excerpts for authors such as Joan Didion, Jack London, John Steinbeck, and Amy Tan. Poems by the likes of Robert Hass, John Muir, and Walt Whitman. Fact Spreads including Famous Californians, Moments in History, Earthquakes, and Surf's Up. Song Lyrics including " I Left My Heart in San Francisco, "California Girls," and "San Andreas Fault." Legends and Lore of everything you ever wanted to know about California, including the building of San Francisco's bridges, the Gold Rush, the Water Wars, and Hollywood. Recipes for California nouveau classics like BBQ Chicken Pizza, California Rolls, and Chinese Chicken Salad join more traditional fare such as Crab Louis and Fish Tacos. Vintage Americana postcard and paper ephemera that illustrates eras of time gone by.

Explore the fascinating lives and loves of the greatest novelists, poets, and playwrights. From William Shakespeare and Jane Austen to Gabriel García Márquez and Toni Morrison, Writers explores more than 100 biographies of the world’s greatest writers. Trace the friendships, loves, and rivalries that inspired each individual and affected their writing, revealing insights into the larger-than-life characters, plots, and evocative settings that they created. You will also uncover details each writer’s most famous pieces and understand the times and cultures they lived in - see how the world influenced them and how their works influenced the world. Writers introduces key ideas, themes, and literary techniques of each figure, revealing the imaginations, and personalities behind some of the world's greatest novels, short stories, poems, and plays. A diverse variety of authors are covered, from the Middle Ages to present day, providing a compelling glimpse into the lives of the people behind the page.