Top 10 American Literature Anthologies

1. Norton Anthology of American Literature

Norton. From the publisher: "Now available in a portable multi-volume format, 'The Norton Anthology of American Literature' is the classic survey of American literature from its sixteenth-century origins to its flourishing present. The Sixth Edition offers the work of 242 writers—30 newly included—representing the extraordinary wealth and diversity of American literature."

2. Harper American Literature, The: Single Volume Edition

Longman. This anthology starts with an exploration of Native American literature, and goes through the colonial narratives, Edgar Allan Poe, Margaret Fuller, Emily Dickinson, Ambrose Bierce, Mark Twain, and others.

3. American Tradition in Literature

McGraw-Hill. From the publisher: "Literary merit remains the guiding principle of selection; flexibility of organization, with Walt Whitman fully represented in both volumes, continues to be one of the text's hallmarks. The ninth edition incorporates many new classic and contemporary offerings, with a special emphasis on women writers and writers from diverse backgrounds."

4. American Satire: An Anthology of Writings

by Nicholas Bakalar. Meridian. This work provides the best of American satire, presenting Ben Franklin, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Mark Twain.

5. American Sea Writing: A Literary Anthology

by Peter Neill (Editor). Library of America. In his "Introduction", Editor Peter Neill explains, "Unlike the American West, which is now crisscrossed with superhighways and dotted with town and cities, the oceans that bracket the nation will never be tamed." Tales from the sea have haunted our literature from the very beginning.

6. Oxford Book of American Short Stories

by Joyce Carol Oates (Editor). Oxford University Press. From the publisher: "In 'The Oxford Book of American Short Stories,' Joyce Carol Oates offers a sweeping survey of American short fiction, in a collection of fifty-six tales that combines classic works with many 'different, unexpected' gems, and that invites readers to explore a wealth of important pieces by women and minority writers."

7. The Heath Anthology of American Literature

by Paul Lauter (Editor) and Richard Yarborough (Editor). Houghton Mifflin Company. From the publisher: "A best-selling anthology since its first edition, this premier survey of American literature has influenced the manner in which the American literary canon is taught in classrooms across the nation."

8. American Passages: An Anthology of Readings on Our Immigrant Experience

by Neil Reich. University of Michigan Press. From the publisher: "In addition to the reading selections, each unit includes introductory material and a historical context for the readings, pre- and postreading analysis questions, a vocabulary study, and writing assignments. Students are encouraged to investigate issues through additional readings, films, and field trips, which may be done independently or in class."

9. Writing New England: An Anthology from the Puritans to the Present

by Andrew Delbanco (Editor). Harvard University Press. From the publisher: "The story of New England writing begins some 400 years ago, when a group of English Puritans crossed the Atlantic believing that God had appointed them to bring light and truth to the New World. Over the centuries since, the people of New England have produced one of the great literary traditions of the world..."

10. Norton Book of American Short Stories

by R.V. Cassil, and Richard Bausch. Norton. From the publisher: "A best-seller from first publication, The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction has been adopted in over 750 schools in its Fifth Edition. From the start, it has offered students the writer's voice, pure and unencumbered by excessive editorial commentary."