Book excerpt: In all six of its volumes The Broadview Anthology of British Literature presents British literature in a truly distinctive light. Fully grounded in sound literary and historical scholarship, the anthology takes a fresh approach to many canonical authors, and includes a wide selection of work by lesser-known writers. The anthology also provides wide-ranging coverage of the worldwide connections of British literature, and it pays attention throughout to issues of race, gender, class, and sexual orientation. It includes comprehensive introductions to each period, providing in each case an overview of the historical and cultural as well as the literary background. It features accessible and engaging headnotes for all authors, extensive explanatory annotations, and an unparalleled number of illustrations and contextual materials. Innovative, authoritative and comprehensive, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature has established itself as a leader in the field. The full anthology comprises six bound volumes, together with an extensive website component; the latter has been edited, annotated, and designed according to the same high standards as the bound book component of the anthology, and is accessible by using the passcode obtained with the purchase of one or more of the bound volumes. For those seeking an even more streamlined anthology than the two-volume Concise Edition, The Broadview Anthology of British Literature is now available in a compact single-volume version. The edition features the same high quality of introductions, annotations, contextual materials, and illustrations found in the full anthology, and it complements an ample offering of canonical works with a vibrant selection of less-canonical pieces. The compact single-volume edition also includes a substantial website component, providing for much greater flexibility. An increasing number of works from the full six-volume anthology (or from its website component) are also being made available in stand-alone Broadview Anthology of British Literature editions that can be bundled with the anthology.