Fifty Great Essays provides an outstanding collection of classic and contemporary writing as part of Longman's Penguin Academics Series of low-cost, high-quality offerings intended for use in introductory college courses. This medium-sized reader features a collection of eminently teachable and rewarding essays for today's college composition courses. Combining commonly taught, classic essays with the best of contemporary writing, Fifty Great Essays provides flexible options for every composition classroom. The selections are diverse in both subject matter and authorship. They have been chosen as models of good writing, as well as for their usefulness as springboards for student writing. An introductory section informs students about the characteristics of the essay form and offers instruction both on reading essays critically and on the process of writing effective essays.