The English Reader
What Every Literate Person Needs to Know
Edited by Michael Ravitch, Michael Ravitch, Diane Ravitch, and Diane Ravitch
Reviews and Awards
A Choice Outstanding Academic Title
"This collection is impressive. With such wide-ranging selections, this volume is an excellent resource for high school humanities and science teachers looking to add depth to their lessons."--American Educator
"This unique collection offers the best that has been thought and said, not just in our unmatched literature but also in the evolution of democratic ideas. It is a book to teach, inspire, and delight all who can read the English language." --E. D. Hirsch, Jr., founder and chairman of the Core Knowledge Foundation and author of The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them
"Diane and Michael Ravitch have assembled a splendid and important anthology - and one that deserves the widest possible readership." --Joseph Epstein, author of Friendship: An Exposé
"The English Reader is a remarkable resource for scholars and readers of all stripes. Whether we lean toward canon-building or canon-breaking, we English language readers have a literary history in common. This book makes the high points (and even some of the low points) of that history accessible and provides an education for us all." --Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University
"This greatest-hits package is a mix of excerpts from longer works and complete short pieces (poems, essays, speeches) that distills the essence of English literature." -Seattle Times
"The 486-page book is the kind of treasure that seldom comes along." - The Oklahoman