The Best American Essays

Brief Description: The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind. The Best American Essays 2005 includes Roger Angell - Andrea Barrett - Jonathan Franzen - Ian Frazier - Edward Hoagland - Ted Kooser - Jonathan Lethem - Danielle Ofri - Oliver Sacks - Cathleen Schine - David Sedaris - Robert Stone - David Foster Wallace - and others Susan Orlean, guest editor, is the author of My Kind of Place, The Orchid Thief, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup, and Saturday Night. A staff writer for The New Yorker since 1982, she has also written for Outside, Esquire, Rolling Stone, and Vogue. Brief Description: Published: Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., -Brief Description: Presents a collection of twenty-five essays originally published in various periodicals by a number of noted writers including Roger Angell, Andrea Barrett, Jonathan Franzen, and others. Table of Contents: Contents Foreword by Robert Atwan ix Introduction by Susan Orlean xv Roger Angell. La Vie en Rose 1 from The New Yorker Andrea Barrett. The Sea of Information 9 from The Kenyon Review Paul Crenshaw. Storm Country 21 from Southern Humanities Review Brian Doyle. Joyas Voladoras 28 from The American Scholar Kitty Burns Florey. Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog 31 from Harper's Magazine Jonathan Franzen. The Comfort Zone 37 from The New Yorker Ian Frazier. If Memory Doesn't Serve 56 from The Atlantic Monthly Mark Greif. Against Exercise 62 from n 1 Edward Hoagland. Small Silences 74 from Harper's Magazine Ted Kooser. Small Rooms in Time 100 from River Teeth Jonathan Lethem. Speak, Hoyt-Schermerhorn 106 from Harper's Magazine E. J . Levy. Mastering the Art of French Cooking 121 from Salmagundi Michael Martone. Contributor's Note 131 from Flyway David Masello. My Friend Lodovico 135 from The New York Times Danielle Ofri. Living Will 139 from The Missouri Review Sam Pickering. Dog Days 151 from River Teeth Oliver Sacks. Speed 161 from The New Yorker Cathleen Schine. Dog Trouble 181 from The New Yorker David Sedaris. Old Faithful 195 from The New Yorker Paula Speck. Six Seconds 203 from Meridian Bert O. States. Skill Display in Birding Groups 208 from The North American Review Robert Stone. The Prince of Possibility 222 from The New Yorker Ellen Ullman. Dining with Robots 242 from The American Scholar David Foster Wallace. Consider the Lobster 252 from Gourmet Holly Welker. Satin Worship 271 from PMS Biographical Notes 279 Notable Essays of 2004 285 Review Citations:

Booklist 10/01/2005 pg. 16 (EAN 9780618357130, Paperback)

Library Journal 10/15/2005 pg. 58 (EAN 9780618357130, Paperback)

Publishers Weekly 08/15/2005 pg. 49 (EAN 9780618357130, Paperback)

Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2005 pg. 902 (EAN 9780618357130, Paperback)

Ingram Advance 10/01/2005 pg. 128 (EAN 9780618357130, Paperback)

Publishers Weekly 08/15/2005 pg. 49 (EAN 9780618357123, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2005 pg. 902 (EAN 9780618357123, Hardcover)

Library Journal 10/15/2005 pg. 58 (EAN 9780618357123, Hardcover)

Booklist 10/01/2005 pg. 16 (EAN 9780618357123, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Orlean, Susan Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at "The New Yorker" since 1992. She is the author of seven books, including "Rin Tin Tin", "Saturday Night", and "The Orchid Thief", which was made into the Academy Award-winning film "Adaptation". She lives with her family and her animals in upstate New York and may be reached at SusanOrlean.com and Twitter.com/SusanOrlean. Contributor Bio:  Atwan, Robert ROBERT ATWAN has been the series editor of "The Best American Essays" since its inception in 1986. He has edited numerous literary anthologies and written essays and reviews for periodicals nationwide.