The Vintage Book of American Women Writers

This book was in our library's recent release section, and as is often the case with academic-appearing anthologies, had few takers. That's too bad, because this substantial collection of short stories and poetry is just about perfect. I read it over the course of two weeks and because the content is in chronological order, the reader gets a glimpse into the American woman's changing life and times. What I found fascinating is that in spite of all the progress women have made, the underlying themes are for the most part still the same. A wonderful addition is a short well-written biography of the writer before each selection. It helps to place the author in the context of her era and I felt as if I knew each one of them personally because of it.I can't speak highly enough of this collection and I would like to thank the editor for her insightful work in its production. Each entry is an absolute jewel!

You can find these works in any number of other collections - and probably more of them. The selection of Bradstreet's poems is rather thin, focusing more on the per-emergent cult of domesticity than her political and theological themes. What I do like about this book is the affordability and its general sturdiness. The print is larger than Norton guides and the pages are thicker - this book can stand some wear from readers on the go. One drawback - while the authors are arranged chronologically, there is no page index so one has to thumb through to find a particular author - not a particularly painful chore, but somewhat distracting as there is so much worth reading!

Overall the book was what I expected at the price I paid. Can't complain much about the book since I got a great price and far cheaper than any other site or my colleges online bookstore.

I purchased this book for one of my online literature classes and I have really enjoyed reading the short stories and poems that are anthologized! I am also discovering new authors that I love and hadn't heard of before. I also appreciate the short bios that are before each section of the author's work, it helps give a little bit of insight into their work and makes it more interesting.

Must admit, the purchase was for my wife. She shares convenient requests now and then for a copy of a new book she has viewed. I keep a to do list. She has it on the night stand for periodic readings and look-ups, so she is using. Thanks Amazon

excellent reference work

Bought a new book but looks like it was used already. Spine had damage as well as the front cover. Purchased for a gift, so was disappointed 😞 to say the least.

This was purchased as text for a college class. I enjoyed it enough that I have both a digital and paper copy.

Cool product.