"This Anthology shows the essay form at its most varied and dramatic. Written by some of our most engaging authors and arranged chronologically, here is the essay as letter, argument, anecdote, portrait, reminiscence, dialogue, and debate - on topics as diverse as becoming a doctor, freedom of speech, the ethics of hunting, the joys of the comma, and computer culture. Each essay is preceded by an overview of the individual author's life and works. The Introduction traces the history of the essay and explains the reasons for its special vitality."--Jacket.