Best American series

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The Best American series is an annually-published collection of books, published by Houghton Mifflin, each of which features a different genre or theme. Each book selects from works published in North America during the previous year, selected by a guest editor who is an established writer within the given field. This series should not be confused with another Best American writing series published by Harper Perennial.

[edit] History

The first in the series, The Best American Short Stories, was introduced in 1915, with Edward J. O'Brien as the sole editor. Additional categories were added over the years, the most recent being Nonrequired Reading and Comics.

[edit] Method

Each category has a continuing series editor, who makes an initial selection of notable works. The guest editor for that year then chooses a smaller number of pieces from the initial list. The pieces that do not make the final cut are often given honorable mention in an alphabetical list at the back of the book.

A work is eligible for the series if it was published in English (or published in another language, but translated into English by the author) in the United States, Canada, Mexico, or Greenland; if it first appeared, or was significantly revised, during the previous year; and if the author comes from or chiefly lives in North America. Internet publications are eligible if their audience includes North American readers.

Many editions are a mix of more-established authors (e.g., Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Chabon) with up-and-coming writers who have achieved moderate success (e.g., Lorrie Moore). Introductions to each book are written by the series editors, guest editors, and/or other celebrities (e.g., actor Viggo Mortensen for Nonrequired Reading, and UK cook Jamie Oliver for Recipes).

[edit] Collections

This is an alphabetical list of volumes published in 2006, except for Recipes which did not appear that year.

• The Best American Comics (added in 2006)
• The Best American Essays
• The Best American Mystery Stories
• The Best American Nonrequired Reading (added in 2002) - Includes humor, satire, and some comics, typically from younger authors.
• The Best American Recipes - Includes recipes from cookbooks, websites, and even the backs of boxes of food. The editors generally remain the same from year to year, unlike the other series, and provide the reader with notes on where to acquire certain less-common foodstuffs.
• The Best American Science and Nature Writing
• The Best American Short Stories
• The Best American Spiritual Writing
• The Best American Sports Writing
• The Best American Travel Writing