The Bedford Reader

by X.J. Kennedy, Jane E. Aaron, Dorothy M. Kennedy

One of the most widely adopted composition readers of all time, The Bedford Reader continues to engage and inspire students with remarkable selections, outstanding instructional material, and a unique "Writers on Writing" feature in which 50 of the book’s writers comment on their process and their work. Thorough coverage of critical reading, effective writing, and working with sources guides students, now more than ever, through their own academic writing. And an exciting visual dimension shows that rhetorical methods apply to both images and text. The Bedford Reader is a favorite of students for the Kennedys’ clarity and wit, of instructors for the flexible and realistic view of the rhetorical methods, and of both for the superior selections and perceptive commentaries by writers worth reading.

Genres: Writing, Reference, Textbooks, Literature, Teaching, School, Nonfiction

800 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[bipolar_bookbish]

I didn't read the whole thing, just the excerpts that were assigned; however, I did enjoy each of the sections I did read, and I found that they were easy to focus on. Usually text books are incredibly long and dull (at least to me.)

[Martin Bihl · Rating 3 out of 5]

good, if dated, overview and guide to the art of essay-writing. full of a nice variety of voices, along with extremely valuable insights and fundamentals. highly recommended to anyone who wants to write clearly - especially orwell's essay "politics and the english language" which is one of the finest essays about writing every written.

(if i think it's so damn good, how come only 3 stars? because even though it's a great textbook, it's a little dense for general reading, and i would hate for someone looking for a book of essays to be misled here. so to clarify, for academic and educational purposes, 4 stars. for general reading, 3. are we clear now? hoo-bloody-ray).

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why they made us buy this book. We read very little out of it (maybe 6 short essays), and the school wouldn't take it back at the end of the semester, so I was stuck with it. But I enjoy reading so I'm sure I'll go back and read more of it later just for fun and exposure to new authors. I enjoyed what little I did read. This was a good anthology for class.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the edition I read in high school (among new pieces is one by Sarah Vowell, for example), but an amazing text for a high school writing class. Also joy to read at any age, I think... I hope they still have "Football Red, Baseball Green" in there.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of greats - short stories, essays, etc. with acknowledgments by Maya Angelou, Russell Baker, Wm. Buckley, Alistair Cooke, and on and on. Authors included are James Harriot, Maya Angelou, Roger Rosenblatt, Mark Twain, and many more NAMES. Good reading.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am using this in my College Writing class and it has a nice breakdown of different elements of writing and different styles, along with articles that can be used as jumping-off points for related writing assignments and reflections. Over all, a good resource for the classroom.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

High school!

[Constance · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading it for a class I'm teaching...

[J.I. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid reader that takes the time to go over rhetorical points and strategies. The downside is that this results in fewer essays and stories, but it works great for an intro composition class.

[Alea Teeters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skipping all the commentary, this is a great collection of works and comments about writing from the authors.