The Norton Anthology of English Literature: 10th Edition - A Comprehensive Guide to the Masterpieces of English Literature

Rebecca I.: First, the books were exactly as described, arrived promptly, no issues with the product at all, A+. More importantly, we had a shipping issue and communication problem that had nothing to do with the seller. Once the seller understood the problem, they immediately took action that solved the issue, and were professional throughout! They told us they were sending the books 2-day shipping, and asked us to keep in mind that it was right before a holiday weekend. The books were in my daughter's hands 24 hours later! Would definitely buy from again!

United States on Sep 10, 2023

SadieSadie: In Great condition for a used book. Affordable for college students. Thank you!

United States on Sep 03, 2023

Andrea: Very well for AP English or duel credit classes

United States on Aug 14, 2023

Karen: Decent. Purchased for a class. Had some coffee stains at the end of the third edition, but otherwise they were fine. I think I will be keeping them for future reading.

United States on Apr 30, 2023

Works great!: Great condition

United States on Feb 21, 2023

scooter: I thought this was an expensive purchase, but you get a lot of product. Quite large books, and thick, with super thin pages. If they used regular thickness pages you'd likely have the equivalent of 10 or so books on your shelf. Very good quality legible print. Should keep me busy for a lot longer than anticipated.

United Kingdom on Feb 18, 2023

Megan: I LOVE this set so much.
Norton never disappoints. This set inspires me to learn more about English literature and provides a great foundation for anyone just starting out exploring this field of study.

Canada on Jan 11, 2023

Justin Kwan: I purchased these anthologies for an English course I was taking last year. I have since read through volumes A and B, and hope to start volume C soon. Firstly the anthologies are arranged both chronologically and thematically. For example in Volume B there is a section devoted to "Women in Power" which features writing from Elizabeth I, Mary of Scots, Lady Jane etc. There is another section later in the volume about "Inquiry and Experience" featuring writing from Francis Bacon, William Harvey and others. And for example a writer like Milton is placed at the end of the volume, while Sir Philip Sydney is placed near the beginning.

The true strength of these anthologies (over simply finding each work online in the public domain) is the editorial additions. Each volume, section, author and work is carefully introduced with a written essay/blurb, outlining the historical-biographical contexts of each author and work, and also highlighting relevant themes and topics to pay attention to when reading each work. For example, the 30-page general introduction to Volume B does an excellent job at setting up the Elizabethan era society, what this meant for writers, and how this...

Canada on Jun 21, 2021

reabook: Must have for a literature student!!! The paper is of beautiful quality but delicate (I only annotate in pencil so this is not an issue for me and if anything its actually better to write on). Each volumes layout, font size and referencing make annotating easy and enjoyable. The volumes are thoughtfully put together packed with useful information/context. Everything from each period is in one volume and I cannot stress how useful that is. Most if not all of the poetry I have needed and wanted to read from medieval to modernism are in the Norton anthologies A-F. They have been an absolute godsend for me and I know I will be reaching for them throughout my studies and later life.

United Kingdom on Jul 22, 2020

Shopping King Louis: A packed-full compilation of great texts separated in three books according to their chronological and literary periods.

There is nothing to fault the actual texts. However, the physical format of the books should be improved. The pages are wafer-thin, much like pages in the bible. They tear easily when being flipped hurriedly. The Norton Anthology is primarily aimed at students, but such thin pages are not student-friendly; notes cannot be written as they show through the paper and stain the pages underneath. Squeezing in so many works into a single book also makes it heavy and cumbersome to carry around (particularly for the orange-cover one), not to mention how easily it gets damaged when being transported frequently in a rucksack.

It is a shame that Norton has not done what it easily could, which is to make a few tweaks such as separating dense books into smaller volumes and printing on thicker paper, that would otherwise make the Anthology a perfectly accessible and enjoyable read.

United Kingdom on Dec 31, 2019