The Riverside Reader by Joseph Trimmer and Maxine Hairston (Houghton-Miflin Co. 1981) (808+/-). This is a collection of essays by noted authors and writers which focuses on the tools and habits necessary to develop the skills required of a professional writer. The authors featured here are all stars: EB White, Ron Kovic, SJ Perleman, Dorothy Parker, Leo Rosten, Tom Wolfe, and many others. My rating: 7/10, finished 12/15/14.

I guess this is actually a textbook. I skipped all the instructional parts on writing and read any essays that interested me and skipped the others. It was a good read.

A beautiful collection of essays drawn from various sources. I love the way it's broken down by literary element and includes brief introductions and thoughtful questions to keep you thinking about the content.

I love essays and it is hard to find essay collections in my library. This is an older book I picked up in a second hand book shop but the essays are still excellent and the rhetorical portion of the book helps the reader think critically about what they have read.

I love the Riverside Reader series. They always choose a fine mix of contemporary and classic essays that appeal to a wide audience.

A nice little compilation of essays.