Subho Deep:
A wonderful compilation of classic essays. If anyone is trying to hone their essay writing skills, this book is the go-to reference. I am thoroughly enjoying reading this book.
India on Sep 28, 2022
Deanne Astor:
This book is a must-have for any high-school student. You will learn so much!
United States on Jul 23, 2022
David HDavid H:
This book is the definitive collection of essays that will prove a valuable read to students of literature and the wider public alike. It includes essays from antiquity through to modernity, and serves as an interesting means of assessing the ebbs and flows of various cultures over time.
The editor, Phillip Lopate, is known as both a teacher and author of the personal essays, and has compiled some of the best examples of the form throughout history. A particular joy is his lengthy introduction, which sets out to describe the nature of the essay and provide some preliminary guidance on how to use the book as a learning resource.
This book has proven interesting to read in its own right – including topics as diverse as food, sex, nature and illness – and as a means of developing myself as an essayist. The selected essays, diverse as they are, are unfailing in the joy they bring to read and the insights they deliver. This anthology deserves a place on everyone’s bookshelf and I could not recommend it enough.
If you found this review useful in any way I’d be super grateful if you clicked the “helpful” button below to let me know :)
United Kingdom on Feb 26, 2019
T. Gow:
What's not to love. A well curated smorgasbord of personal essays from old to new. A book to dip into and enjoy.
United Kingdom on Mar 17, 2018
Ireland:
Took a long time to find such a wide-ranging collection of the best of personal essays. Delighted with it.
United Kingdom on Feb 23, 2018
Quique:
This book really makes the personal essay stand as a genre, a very fruitful one. To witness the free and surprising development of the mind of each writer is a joy of the personal essays compiled and introduced by Lopate.
United Kingdom on Jan 11, 2015
Judith Lethin:
The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present is a teachers and writers collaborative book expounding the personal essay. Lopate believes intimacy is the hallmark of the personal essay, with "the writer seemingly speaking directly into the reader's ear, confiding everything from gossip to wisdom." This intimacy invites the reader into a relationship of shared thoughts, memories, desires, complaints, and whimsy. This relationship is based on a belief that at our core we have a common experience of what it means to be human; a common anxiety, a common drive for understanding and companionship. This definition gives me fresh cause to study personal essay as a form for story and to try my hand at it. I believe our commonness is what draws us into relationship with one another, our understanding of the divine, and our own souls. Personal essay can be the vehicle to help us tell all, argue all, and laugh along the way. I like this. I like this very much. Lopate gives each an invitation to write our own personal essay.
United States on Sep 16, 2010
Maya:
I bought this for summer reading assignments for my high school. I thought it was going to be a boring collection of essays but it surprised me. I didn't read the whole thing, only some selections, but it was a good read.
United States on Jul 14, 2010
JR Pinto:
Laurie Stone, the essayist and creative writing teacher, recommended this book to me as the most essential volume on the personal essay. I could not agree more. The editor, Philip Lopate, is one of the most well-respected authors of the personal essay and he has compiled this anthology of pieces from the classical era to the present. The book works well for readers and writers alike. Lopate, in his lengthy introduction, gives an overview of the personal essay, and instructions on how to use this book as a learning tool. It is divided into several sections, beginning with the essay's forerunners in the classical period. Michel De Montaigne, the father of the personal essay, gets his own section. Personally, I did not find it useful to read the book cover-to-cover - I read it in reverse. I started out with the most recent, contemporary essays - those most accessible to me - and went backwards in order to see the devolution of the essay, as it were.
The essay is fast becoming one of my favorite forms - it is short, funny, and insightful. I highly recommend this book to ANYONE.
United States on Nov 23, 2004
| Explore the History of the Personal Essay: A Comprehensive Anthology from Ancient Times to the Modern Age | Exploring the Mystical World of Mythical Creatures and Magical Beasts | Explore the Enchanting World of Mythical Creatures and Magical Beasts | |
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| B2B Rating |
70
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97
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96
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| Sale off | $7 OFF | $1 OFF | |
| Total Reviews | 4 reviews | 107 reviews | 71 reviews |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 319 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when.execute { if { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative { if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when.execute { A.declarative{ if { ue.count || 0) + 1); } }); }); | 4.5/5 stars of 185 ratings | 4.5/5 stars of 288 ratings |
| Rhetoric (Books) | Rhetoric | ||
| Best Sellers Rank | #12 in Rhetoric #97 in Essays #368 in Short Stories Anthologies | #264 in Mythology & Folklore Encyclopedias#1,727 in Folklore & Mythology Studies#6,096 in Folklore | #69 in Mythology & Folklore Encyclopedias#305 in Folklore & Mythology Studies#1,700 in Folklore |
| ISBN-10 | 038542339X | ||
| Item Weight | 2.3 pounds | ||
| Paperback | 777 pages | ||
| Dimensions | 6.04 x 1.63 x 9.16 inches | ||
| Reading age | 1 year and up | ||
| Publisher | Anchor; First Edition | ||
| ISBN-13 | 978-0385422987 | ||
| Essays (Books) | Essays | ||
| Language | English | ||
| Lexile measure | 1180L | ||
| Short Stories Anthologies | Short Stories Anthologies |
United States on Jan 12, 2023