Knowra Library of America Library of America Library of America is a nonprofit publisher of authoritative, carefully edited editions of classic American writing. Its books preserve major works in durable volumes with editorial notes and historical context.
Critical edition : An edition that establishes a reliable text through documented editorial decisions and evidence from earlier versions. Library of America volumes use scholarly editing to establish authoritative texts.
Edmund Wilson : An American literary critic and editor whose advocacy helped inspire a comprehensive series of American classics. His essay calling for a national library of American writing helped set the project in motion.
Walt Whitman: Poetry and Prose : A Library of America volume collecting Walt Whitman’s poetry and prose in an edited edition. It shows how the series gathers multiple forms of one writer’s work.
Everyman's Library : A long-running series of affordable editions of classic world literature, founded in Britain in 1906. It offers a broader international canon, while Library of America concentrates on American writing.
Textual criticism : The study of how written works change across manuscripts, proofs, and published editions. Its methods help editors identify the most reliable text for each volume.
Jason Epstein : An American publisher and editor who helped develop the Library of America project. He turned the proposal for a national classics series into a publishing plan.
The American Transcendentalists : A Library of America volume collecting writings by major American Transcendentalist authors. Its group portrait demonstrates the series’ use of thematic as well as author volumes.
Penguin Classics : A book series publishing classic literature from many cultures and historical periods. Its wide-ranging catalog contrasts with Library of America’s national focus.
Editorial apparatus : Notes, introductions, and other supporting material that explain a text and its publication history. Introductions, notes, and textual notes frame many Library of America works.
American Academy of Arts and Letters : A US honorary organization that supports excellence in literature, music, and the visual arts. The organization helped launch and initially oversee Library of America.
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