Amazon.com: A History of American Literature: 9781405192286: Gray, Richard: Books

I’ve been reading and referring to this book for two or three years now, and it’s never let me down. It’s the kind of single-minded production that lone academics rarely create. Gray must have spent most of his teaching career – decades – working on and polishing this extremely valuable survey.

Complaints? Only that it doesn’t contain even more. Every major American author and plenty of minor ones are discussed, fairly and adequately for this kind of book. I agree with the reviewer who said that every English major – and American history major – should be familiar with it.

And just so there’s no mistake: Gray’s book is no dry, tedious academic tome. The writing is first-rate and very inviting. In that regard it’s a worthy successor to the older (though still useful) “Literary History of the United States,” by a committee of authors, which was last revised many years ago.

Hardly the final word on the subject, even up to now, but the best and fullest account the average university student is likely to need.