Includes bibliographical references and index.

Firmly grounded in the core strengths that have made it the best-selling undergraduate survey in the field, The Norton Anthology of American Literature has been revitalized in this Seventh Edition through the collaboration between three new period editors and five seasoned ones. Under Nina Baym's direction, the editors have considered afresh each selection and the entire apparatus to make the Shorter Edition an even better teaching tool for the one-semester and brief two-semester courses. - Publisher.