The Best American Series

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The Best American Series is an annually-published collection of books, published by Houghton Mifflin, each of which features a different genre or theme. Each book selects from works published in North America during the previous year, selected by a guest editor who is an established writer within the given field. This series should not be confused with another Best American writing series published by Harper Perennial.

1 History
2 Method
3 Collections
4 External links

[edit] History

The Best American Short Stories has been in publication since 1915 making it the oldest continuous series of its type. Starting in 1986 additional titles were added covering the best in essays, sports writing, nature writing and more - all of which now fall under the general title of The Best American Series.

[edit] Method

Each category has a continuing series editor, who makes an initial selection of notable works. The guest editor for that year then chooses a smaller number of pieces from the initial list. The pieces that do not make the final cut are often given honorable mention in an alphabetical list at the back of the book.

A work is eligible for the series if it was published in English (or published in another language, but translated into English by the author) in the United States, Canada, Mexico, or Greenland; if it first appeared, or was significantly revised, during the previous year; and if the author comes from or chiefly lives in North America. Internet publications are eligible if their audience includes North American readers.

Many editions are a mix of more-established authors (e.g., Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Chabon) with up-and-coming writers who have achieved moderate success (e.g., Lorrie Moore). Introductions to each book are written by the series editors, guest editors, and/or other celebrities (e.g., actor Viggo Mortensen for Nonrequired Reading, and UK cook Jamie Oliver for Recipes).