Frog: And Other Essays

by Anne Fadiman, Sam Anderson (Foreword)

A new collection of sprightly personal essays from one of America’s most beloved nonfiction writers, Anne Fadiman.

In Frog, Anne Fadiman returns to one of her favorite genres, the essay, of which she is one of our most celebrated practitioners. Ranging in subject matter from her deceased frog, to archaic printer technology, to the fraught relationship between Samuel Taylor Coleridge and his son Hartley, these essays evoke an enormous world, one rife with brilliance and art, mundanity and oddity.

The diverse subjects of Frog cling together through the quality of Fadiman’s attention, and subtly, they come to form a slantwise portrait of the artist, a writer dedicated to chronicling the world as it changes—in ways small and large—around her as time passes each day.

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 10, 2026

About the author

Anne Fadiman is the author, most recently, of the essay collection Frog (2026). Her first book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997), won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Salon Book Award. In 2017, she published The Wine Lover’s Daughter, a memoir about her father. Fadiman has also written two essay collections, Ex Libris and At Large and At Small, and edited Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love. She is Professor in the Practice of English and Francis Writer in Residence at Yale.

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Fadiman just might be my favorite living essayist (I gift “Ex Libris” to pretty much every bookish person I know). There’s something jewel-like about her writing; the longer you look at it and the more closely you examine it, the more evident the precision and sheer craftsmanship that go into every line and line break become. And her humor! I’m convinced even her grocery lists must be funny. Every essay in this newest collection is stellar, but my particular favorites were “The Oakling and the Oak” and “South Polar Times.”

Many thanks to FSG for the advanced copy. I can’t wait to push this book on everyone I know when it comes out next February!

[Bre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was received as an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

This review will be short- I enjoyed this book, same as I have enjoyed all of Anne Fadiman’s work. I’m generally not a huge fan of essays, but hers always touch me and while Frog is probably below Ex Libris on my ranking, it’s still a great read.
I may add to this review as I sit with what I’ve read, but the rating should remain the same.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great essayist Anne Fadiman has a new collection out, and it was even more of a joy than I was expecting. From pets to printers to coming to terms with the singular pronoun "them" as a prescriptive grammarian (as someone who also loves to diagram sentences, I see her), it is a joy to read Fadiman think and analyze and open herself up to a changing world. A gift of a book.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love anything Anne Fadiman writes.

[Lilisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Fadiman is an eloquent giant in contemporary nonfiction writing and once again I’m not disappointed in her latest book. In this collection of essays that range from her dead frog (!), old printer, use of pronouns, Coleridge and his son, to a brilliance snuffed out way too early, she captivated me with her rich prose with bits of humor interspersed here and there. She can take a topic like her beloved old printer and walk the reader through her unfathomable attachment of it, nursing it along well beyond its usefulness. And yet, as the reader, practical though I am, I strangely understood her actions (!). Her deceased frog was another lovely piece, although I’m a bit on the fence on holding on... And then came the final essay about Marina Keegan, the author’s student – oh, the vivacious, young, full of life Marina, who’s book The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories was published posthumously, and which I thought was amazing and is one of my all-time favorites. I could feel the restrained depth of emotion as Fadiman writes about Marina Keegan, who was in her nonfiction writing course on Writing about Oneself at Yale University. All in all, another great enjoyable and satisfying read from Anne Fadiman. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this essay collection by writing professor Anne Fadiman. Fadiman's writing is smart, charming, funny and accessible. I was with her every step of the way as she discussed the pet frog her family lived with for over a decade and any other topic she chose to write about. Fadiman has perfected the familiar essay, and this is a delightful book to dip in and out of, although I couldn't help but read it straight through. This is a treat to read and upon finishing it I immediately purchased her previous essay collections.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d nearly forgotten how much I love Anne Fadiman’s beautiful, precise writing. This collection of essays covers everything from her family’s pet frog, Bunky, to a failed Antarctic expedition to an account of holding Zoom classes during the pandemic. Each essay sparkles with wit and insight.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely essays from a talented writer. The writing clear and accessible, while also being profound and engaging. Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Theodore Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible as usual. love the essay about the printer

[Margo]

Spring Suggestion 2026

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My full review is on the Open Letters Review website at https://openlettersreview.com/posts/f....