A compact version of one of the most popular composition readers on the market €” at a significant savings to students €” The Brief Bedford Reader provides 49 compelling readings by excellent writers and all the practical instructional material of the full-length book. The unique "Writers on Writing" feature for 40 of the selections illustrates the many ways writers create meaning from what they read and experience. More coverage of revising and editing, discussion examples of academic genres, and coverage of academic language guides students through their own academic writing.
This is a textbook for learning to write in the English language. It is an excellent resource for writers but it also has a great collection of short stories and essays which are examples of different writing styles. I would have become a better writer if there was a textbook like this when I was in school!
The Brief Bedford Reader was assigned reading for a creative English college course. It is full of short essays by brilliant authors. Styles of writing include Narrative, Descriptive, Process Analysis, etc... The readings combined with the critical thinking activities found at the end of the readings, provide readers with a better understanding of the technique.
This book was great improving my writing. With passages by esteemed writers like Maya Angelou on how they begin writing a story or a book, it really teaches you how the writer's mind works, how to properly outline your forethoughts and ideas, and finally how to write in narrative form. Definitely a manual I'd recommend!
This one's actually better than the expanded or "complete" version. Why? Well, less of it so you can read more interesting novels and stuff, of course.