No personal library can be complete without at least a sampling of Keats, and this is the book that everyone should get. All the poems -- even the fragments -- are here, with line numbers included. The several appendices and letter excerpts make the collection even more valuable. If you are trying to decide which Keats collection to get, you have found the best.

Jack Stillinger devoted much of his professional life to establishing the definitive texts of Keats's poems. This painstaking work has resulted in a number of changes to the poems. As to the quality of the poetry itself, at his best Keats approaches Shakespeare, as in the Odes. Stillinger is also an excellent teacher; I had his course on Keats 26 years ago, and it was fascinating. While the other reviewers have done a very good job of describing the beauty of Keats's poetry, one point Stillinger made about Keats as a person is worth repeating: Keats was the one English romantic poet that you would want to ask for advice about a personal problem you had. All the rest, Blake, Wordsworth, Shelley (especially!), and Byron would have given you advice that, if followed, would have been wildly impractical. Keats, as shown by his letters, was not pretentious and had a large degree of human decency and common sense. While these characteristics are not one usually associated with romantic poets, I think that they contribute to the strength of his poetry.

...and he rivals Shakespeare as the most perfect lyrical poet, the most exquisite shaper of words. Passages in the Odes (Melancholy is my favorite) are about as good as this language can expect to get, at least from a descriptive and sensual standpoint. Keats doesn't achieve the meditative transcendence of Wordsworth, but he has his own meditations -- usually more modest in scope, but made noble by the perfection of their expression.

Keats is wonderful. However, a reason to purchase *this* version over other publications is because of Jack Stillinger. He was my english professor and the man is an expert on all things Keats. It was a pleasure learning from him and his essays are always worth reading.

He was my Brit Lit professor, and the man knows Keats inside out. I learned a lot from him in lecture and his books. This is a must read in terms of criticism. Stillinger is one of the most brilliant professors of english I have encountered.

This book is an excellent introduction to Wordsworth, a much-loved yet often-disparaged poet. As a fan of Romanticism, I adore Wordsworth and have dog-eared and battered this wonderful volume to death. Even cynics will be moved by Wordsworth's praise of the divine spirit that breathes in Nature and inspires men with her succoring benevolence. Don't miss the favorites "The Prelude" and "Titurn Abby" and the lesser-known "A Night-Piece," "Her Eyes are Wild," and "Nutting."

John Stuart Mill was one of the leading thinkers of the beginning of the 19th century in almost all fields of scientific interest. Closely educated by his father James Mill he acquires an astounding knowledge of philosophy, economy, psychology and whatever one calls education at that time. As he says in the book, he was far ahead (25 years) of people his age. In all of his modesty (he thought he was only average in matter of intelectual powers)he lists that he began to learn Greek by 3, Latin by 7 and so on. The result for the Sociological Sciences was the work done in many fields and most notably in Economy and Philosophy. But, what was the outcome of all this to the man John Stuart Mill? Did he enjoy himself doing what he did? Did he find his father had educated right?
Just read the book and find for yourself.

In my estimation, John Stuart Mill is one of the great great geniuses in history. He is in that top echelon (from what I've read) right up there with Aristotle, David Hume, and Ayn Rand. There is alot to learn from reading his writing, both in terms of content, and most importantly, method. His approach is to see all sides, be open to new evidence, and honestly search after truth.

In this concise 205 page autobiography, Mill gives us a mainly intellectual autobiography of his intellectual development and his writings, as well as the tremendous influence of his father, James Mill, and his wife and most intimate friend, Harriet Taylor. What I got it from it was a picture of a man constantly growing, constantly open to learning, honest, searching, willing to be fallible, and desiring to know the truth. I don't agree with some of Mill's conclusions concerning socialism and probably some others, but I have the utmost respect for the his reasoning ability and intellectual honesty. This book touched me far deeper than did Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography because while Franklin just seems to relate his own life and events, there seems to be more relection and insight in Mill. As someone who has only read "On Liberty" and "Utilitarianism", this is also a great introduction to Mill's thought because he discusess all his writings and he gives alot of background in terms of what was going on his life, in the times, etc... Brand Blanshard wrote a book entitled "Four Reasonable Men" and John Stuart Mill was one of them; I couldn't agree more.

Greg Feirman...

Rivels the great philosophical autobiographies of all time: namely, Rousseau, Ben Franklin, Sartre, Russell. The book is a fascinating inspiration; responsible for my decision to change my college major to philosophy, politics, and economics. To criticize the work is to not understand it.

Ninety-nine percent of the people who buy this book will have no choice; it will be the required text for an undergraduate survey of British literature. They should know that while this is in many respects a fine book, it is misleading. I will offer a couple of examples based on my own specialization, 19th century literature.

The two volumes offer 15 pages on Sir Walter Scott, that is, 1/400th of the whole anthology, or 1/200th of the second volume. Yet Scott is, arguably, the most influential writer in English for the 19th century. No Scott - - no historical novel - - no War and Peace. The volume's ill-treatment of Scott extends to the selection of Scott's prose, namely the first chapter of The Heart of Midlothian. The story proper does not begin till chapter 2. I would advise a reader new to Scott to skip Chapter 1. What about printing one of Scott's short stories instead, "The Highland Widow" or "The Two Drovers"? If an excerpt must be used, what about the climax of Redgauntlet, with the dismissal of Bonnie Prince Charlie?

The editors and/or publishers have prepared a book they think will _sell lots of copies_. Be warned that this has dictated some distortions. Giving three times the space to Mary Wollstonecraft as to Scott is an example. No doubt Wollstonecraft is important for understanding the currents of sensibility of the age and the voice that feminists did have; but then, where are the hymns of Charles Wesley, taken up by innumerable British people? You need to know something about them if you are to understand the period. Leaving them out really does the reader a disservice.

Users of this book get an anthology that subtly distorts one's picture of the eras through which the selections move. Good luck to its users.

I bought the Norton Anthology of English Literature, seventh edition, volume 1, for one of my core classes in my English lit major, and I've found it to be a very worthy addition to my literature collection. Heaney's verse translation of Beowulf(as compared to the prose translation of the 6th edition) is engaging and fun to read(not to mention wonderful poetry). Chaucer's Canterbury Tales appear in their original Middle English, while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is translated into modern English. This edition contains samples of numerous authors up until the 18th century, and it's an excellent buy for a survey of English literature.

I am writing this not neccesarily as a review, but as a reply to some of the other reviews on the Norton Anthology of English Literature. The NAEL consists of mainly poetry is because for the most part that IS English Literature (Literature does not mean just BOOKS you know). In fact, the novel didn't exist until the 18th century. As for why it's assigned in classes (even if you don't read the entire thing)? Well, maybe your professor figured that it would be a valuable referrence book, as well as a life-long companion-- which it is.