The Norton Anthology of American Literature: 1820-1865

Volume A (Beginnings to 1820) provides an excellent selection of texts from early American literature. This 8th Edition includes more diversity and range of selection than previous volumes, e.g., Native American creation tales and trickster stories, accounts of discovery and settlement by English and Spanish explorers, poetry by women, and various political and religious writings of the Colonial Period. As with other Norton literary anthologies, this one is meticulously edited, with useful background information, author sketches and annotations of obscure terms and references.

The book has some water damage, pages are dog eared and bent, cover has seen better days. BUT every page still seems to be there and all the words are legible and since I only needed this for a semester of college this will do perfectly fine.

I needed this book for a college level American Literature course. I was excited to take this course since I have been leaning towards and possibly majoring in some form of literature. The varying excerpts included in this anthology are wonderful, It covers from Native American's onward. I also appreciate that every author introduced is started with a personal history and background so you get a more full idea of where this writer was coming from and can better understand their point of view in writing.My only critique is that the pages are thin and for an eager reader as myself it makes it a gentle process to flip pages. I also enjoy highlighting passages as my professor speaks and it bleeds through a bit too easily. Otherwise I am very please with this anthology!

My written review is that it was a required purchase for a class I am taking at the local community college. It wasn't difficult to find on Amazons website. The book we use it all the time in class. As a student, I use the book away from class as well. The book didn't cost too much. I was a little confused about the pricing of the order. Amazon had thought or taken the presumption thatI had ordered two books. The website said "shipping address" and "mailing address." Please know that I hadn't ordered a book from Amazon in three years. You guys still do a good job! I mailed the book back and hope to get my money back soon from the other book.

Text book required for class. I got the print edition, because it was $30 cheaper than the ebook, which I find frustrating. I would have preferred the ebook because this text is super heavy. This has most of my reading for my American Lit class. If you are looking for an anthology of newer material, I highly suggest "The Best American Non-Required Reading" currently 2016 is the newest out.

My son needed this for a class. As for the quality of the inclusions in the anthology, I can't offer an opinion as I haven't looked at it yet. With regard to the quality of my seller, we had a seamless transaction with quick shipping and my son had the book in time for the class. Just what I wanted...thanks so much!

Yes, I bought the Volume A from a friend but needed the entire book (both volumes). Thankfully it worked out for cheap and the combo of both is the same as the one large book (page numbers match up too). Yay! Thanks!

Considering I had to have it for a course, and didn't order it for a pleasure read, it's great. It had everything in that I needed, and the synopsis written about each author is very helpful.

The book is very bulky in size, but it covers a wide range of important American literary texts, many of which are difficult to purchase by itself. More importantly, it comes with an introduction to all the authors, introducing the reader to their political insights and social background which is extremely useful and relevant to the texts. E.g. Emerson Thoreau, and their transcendentalist views probably explain everything about their texts.My one critique would simply be the paper quality. Though it is understandable why such thin paper has to be used, but it makes highlighting, and note taking extremely frustrating. I had to purchase a separate copy of The Scarlet Letter, simply because of the insufficient space left for us to note-take.

Good text book with texts in it. Needed it for uni has a lot in it

Good to read book with an interesting topic

Needed this for university, full of everything I needed.  The Norton Anthology of American Literature: 1914-1945 v. DThe Norton Anthology of American Literature: 1914-1945 v. D

For the condition it was in, it was a bargain, would have definitely been fine paying more