The third edition of this anthology has been substantially revised and updated for a contemporary American audience; a selection of classic essays from earlier eras has been retained, but the emphasis is very much on twenty-first-century expository writing. Works of different lengths and levels of difficulty are represented, as are narrative, descriptive and persuasive essays—and, new to this edition, lyric essays. For the new edition there are also considerably more short pieces than ever before; a number of op-ed pieces are included, as are pieces from blogs and from online news sources. The representation of academic writing from several disciplines has been increased—and in some cases the anthology also includes news reports presenting the results of academic research to a general audience. Also new to this edition are essays from a wide range of the most celebrated essayists of the modern era—from James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, Joan Didion, and Annie Dillard to Eula Biss and Ta-Nehisi Coates.

The anthology remains broad in its thematic coverage, but certain themes receive special emphasis—notably, issues of race, class, and culture in twenty-first century America.

For the new edition the headnotes have been expanded, providing students with more information as to the context in which each piece was written. Questions and suggestions for discussion have been moved online to the instructor website.

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Don LePan, founder and CEO of academic publishing house Broadview Press, is the author of several non-fiction books and of two other works of fiction; his novel Animals (2010) has been described by Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee as “a powerful piece of writing and a disturbing call to conscience.”

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Comments on previous editions:

“My students’ responses to the readings have sparked meaningful and productive conversations about culture, education, and our ways of viewing the world. To my delight, at the end of a typical meeting we are left with even more questions than when we began. This text fosters students’ growth as inquisitive, critical readers and opens the doorway to future academic work.” — Alixandra V. Krzemien, Canisius College

“What a wonderful and insightful collection of essays. My writing courses improved by leaps and bounds when I adopted the first edition. … [W]ith a diverse and engaging range of essays, The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose challenges writers to read beyond the purview of their experience and knowledge so that their writing can consider and cross more horizons. This collection invites students into serious academic discourse via groundbreaking essays by prominent and influential voices from within and without academia; the second edition will prepare writers to understand how any topic or discipline cultivates networks of dialogue across popular, lyrical, scholarly, experimental, and theoretical styles. Don’t be surprised when students read more than the assigned material from The Broadview Anthology, as was the case when I adopted the first edition for my courses; the accessible organization and appeal of this book make it a useful resource for ongoing learning and research.” — Beth Staley, West Virginia University

“For the second edition, the editors of The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose have managed to make significant improvements to what was already an above-average prose anthology. A particular strength of the new edition is the inclusion of paired articles (two articles on the same topic but directed toward different audiences), which provides students with the opportunity to explore the concepts of audience, voice, and purpose in writing.” — Lisa Salem-Wiseman, Humber College

“The Broadview Anthology of Expository Prose is one of the best essay anthologies I have seen. The remarkable diversity of the essays covers an impressive range of authors, styles, topics, and viewpoints. Included are essays from the humanities, the sciences, and the social sciences; scholarly essays, literary essays, and popular essays; traditional essays and contemporary ones; short essays and long ones; essays in a wide range of tones and of voices, by men and women from a wide range of backgrounds. An added bonus is the historical range of prose styles from the seventeenth to the twenty-first centuries. The quality of the essays also deserves high praise; again and again these readings demonstrate how the most common questions may provoke uncommon insights. Many selections have a sharp edge but they challenge a reader’s mindset without being confrontational. The topics make one take notice; the essays then lead the reader through the complexities of analysis. This anthology of significant, incisive, diverse essays should make a significant contribution to the recognition of the essay as a vitally important genre—and of essay writing as a vitally important literary and argumentative art.” — Paul D. Farkas, Metropolitan State College