<DIV><P><I>The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature</I> is a best-seller for a reason: It brings literature to life for students, helping to make them lifelong readers and better writers. Classic works drawn from many periods and cultures appear alongside a strong showing from today’s authors. There is plenty of support for students, with a dozen chapters of critical reading and writing support, helpful sample close readings, writing assignments, and student papers. And, because everyone teaches and learns a little differently, there are lots of options for working with the literature, including case studies on individual works and themes that everyone can relate to. In-depth chapters on major authors like Flannery O’Connor and Emily Dickinson take students deeper into their work, and the new tenth edition features a chapter on the fiction of Dagoberto Gilb, created in collaboration with the author himself—one more way that the anthology showcases literature as a living, changing art form. </DIV>