Academic anthologies of world literature often cater to the professoriate in English departments who only have a passing knowledge of non-western literature. As a result, many collections of world literature are, in fact, collections of European literary classics, thereby allowing professors to simply walk through lower division classes without having to do much work. _A World of Literature_, however, places non-Western literature at the core of the collection, allowing teachers and students to really challenge themselves in the enjoyment of global perspectives. The works selected for inclusion are generally canonical within their cultural contexts and are made comprehensible by the fine introductions.