Product Description

A timeless collection of short stories about an imaginary small town, unified by the presence of Winesburg Eagle reporter George Willard, Winesburg, Ohio is, as H.L. Mencken said upon it's publication in 1919, "...vivid, so full of insight, so shiningly life-like and glowing, that the book is lifted into a category all its own."

Presented here by the leading lights of modern American letters, Winesburg, Ohio reverberates with the passion of both Sherwood Anderson and the many writers whom he has influenced.

Customer Reviews (78)

Winesburg, Ohio
I tried and tried, but I could not get into this book.Finally gave up about half-way through.Couldn't see wasting any more time when I have tons of books that I want to read.

Strange editing
This edition of "Winesburg, Ohio" was edited in a very bizzare manner.It seemed as though the text from another edition was brought over and simply pasted to this edition, which caused words to be hyphenated in the middle of paragraphs.In other words, what seemed to happen was where a word that might have been at the end of a line in one previous edition was now positioned in the middle of a line, but it was still hyphenated as it had been.This was very distracting and after the second page I had to stop reading, because the hyphen-ation was break-ing words that should not have been bro-ken and, in effect, alter-ing the em-phasis and meaning of the text.Very shoddy editing.

Falls short of expectations
It isn't often I get frustrated with any classics, but Winesburg, Ohio was different. It has some moments where it just seems to get lost in the prose (the only problem is that I mean this literally). While, there are some interesting moments about George Willard, his family and those who live in the same town, the story just didn't take off like some books do.

I enjoy symbolism and other literary elements in books, and try to read between the lines in books, but I just couldn't figure out where Anderson was going with the stories. Each story paints a picture of a resident of Winesburg, their struggles, their family history, etc, but the tales just seem to lack much coherence with the previous story. I was waiting for the "aha" moment, the epiphany of what was trying to be the point, but it never seemed to come. Moments and events about George Willard, and the local townspeople, and all their dreams and failures, seem to be understated to the point where their significance becomes a mute point. I felt myself going over passages again, feeling as though I missed something significant.

I can see how Anderson could have inspired authors such as Hemingway and Steinbeck in his style, as he has a simple approach in his prose, and he is able to carry a story. However, Anderson doesn't seem to have the ability to deliver the punch that Hemingway or Steinbeck did. Winesburg, Ohio is about as good as an early, unpolished Steinbeck novel. It has some moments where you really feel like something significant is about to happen, but then it kind of fades. While there is a basis for each character's story, there wasn't enough build up to care enough about the characters or their actions.

Some have found this book quite satisfying, which is great, but I feel as though the novel is average in its delivery.

A fine piece of writing for the most part
The best part about these sketches of citizens of the mythical village of Winesburg is the simple but often lovely prose. The best told parts of the story and the parts with the best prose,deal with the Bentley family, the pastor who is unable to repress his sexual voyeuristic tendencies, the young gal who on a whim runs outside naked into the rain hoping it would relieve her mental strain, and some other parts.

The book is full of gloomy individuals dealing with dashed hopes,unfullfilled emotional needs, sexual repression, etc. Some of the characters suffer to some degree from psychological imbalance. Anderson focuses a great deal on the inner psychology of these characters. His presentation is reasonably realistic and effective though he loses his effectiveness somewhat toward the end. It may be difficult for a 21st century reader to recognize behavior and ways of thinking from late 19th century rural Ohio, but I think they are recognizable enough. Jesse Bentley is an interesting character. It is understandable, I think, how a man like him, facing the harsh conditions of rural Ohio in the19th century, might developa religious fanatacism that crosses the border into insanity.

One thing that struck me about the book is the meager insight the reader gets into George Willard's thoughts about the sometimes mentally unstable people who make rambling speeches to him about their philosophies of life, dashed hopes, etc. Perhaps George is too naive and has not seen much of the world in his 18 years of life, all of it spent in a rural village,and so he thinks the people he talks to are merely interesting folks and very ood people. Anderson does provide psychological insight into George's striving to find love and his struggles to reach adulthood, though I don't think this insight is always well presented toward the end of the book.

Anderson clearly shows the dashed hopes of some of the female characters in the book who are looking for real love but have husbands who don't share their particular conception of love.

An honest depiction of the emptiness of humanity
Often credited as an inspiration by the renowned literati of the 20th century, Sherwood Anderson exhibited his subtle fineness and simple genius when he penned `Winesburg, Ohio' in 1919.Told as a collection of short stories, the `grotesque' inhabitants of the secluded town of Winesburg begin to relate to a young reporter, George Willard, and open up from the confinements of their society, revealing their inner hopes that will never be fulfilled, and their true sentiments that will remain repressed.

In each story, the reader is invited to observe the attempts by different townsfolk--of all social class--attempting to seek recognition, respectability and happiness within the community, while all the time internally seeking to justify their own existence in a society that does not seem to befit the effort.Cynicism abounds, as the characters either accept their failed hopes, or are seen to shrilly grasp onto the last motivation for any seemingly purposeful existence.While each character has the potential to be of some significance, all fail in achieving this, remaining inconsequential to the wider world.The opening up to George can be seen as a desperate to attempt to inject solid meaning onto their lives; unintentionally offering George (and the reader) a glimpse into the likely the future for the majority.

A book which explores the emotions behind failed ambition, despair and social cohesion, `Winesburg, Ohio' is a classic cogitation on the American Dream and the place of the individual in the greater world.
... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Short Stories; Fiction / Classics; Fiction / General; Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Literary; Fiction / Short Stories; History / United States / State ... Read more

Product Description
General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1920Original Publisher: B. W. HuebschSubjects: Fiction / ClassicsFiction / HistoricalFiction / LiteraryJuvenile Nonfiction / Biography ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

no title
" The machines men are so intent on making have carried them very far from the old sweet things."
This quote from the book sums up its core philosophy very nicely.Surely this is Anderson's best book, also depressing, but not as much as "Winesburg, Ohio", and quite sweet in its depiction of a life now lost.Anderson must have deeply loved the country and its farms to have described it so wondrously.And his skill in depicting even the most minute of characters is quite remarkable.This ability to draw out of the smallest things such vivid detail, is really outstanding.I liked this book very much and would almost wish to return to those "old sweet things".He really abhored the machine age and, as in "Winesburg", all his people, especially Clara and Hugh, are abysmal at trying to connect with their fellow human beings.Created with a lot of suspense.

Excellent tale of America's transition to industrialism!
If you thought that Winesburg Ohio was good, then you'll absolutely love Poor White.It has a similar feel as Winesburg, except this story revolves around two main characters, Hugh McVey and Clara Butterworth.Poor Whitetells of how the spread of industrialism affected the agrarian towns of theMidwest.

An important document of America's changing landscape.
Sherwood Anderson captures America's change from agrarian to industrial, with insightful and poetic writing. This is a perfect companion to Anderson's best-known work (Winesburg, Ohio) as well as to the many non-fiction books on the same topic (The Machine in the Garden, etc.). ... Read more

Product Description
Winesburg, Ohio; a group of tales of Ohio small town life is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Sherwood Anderson is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Sherwood Anderson then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Not up to par with expectations
I thought I would really enjoy this classic since I grew up in small-town Ohio. I found it very difficult to stick with some of the stories, but muddled through. Some tales were decent but they would end too soon. It is an easy read and some may really enjoy it but I did not.

Winesburg, Ohio
Winesburg, Ohio is a book full of unhappy people.Those who are married seem especially unhappy....the women are all tall and dark, the men are all "thinkers".Tho it won the Pulitzer, it was not a great book to read.Redeeming factor--makes OLIVE KITTEREDGE look really good--those stories are also about folks in a small town, also won Pulitzer, and I thought it a better read.

A patchwork of small-town American Midwestern life
For someone who grew up in a small town (pop. 1000) in southern Indiana, I immediately drew a connection with Winesburg. Anderson's portrayal of the local residents leads people to believe that small town life can have the same problems as city life.

Caricatures of small-town life
This is a collection of stories of people in small-town America at the turn of the last century. The book attempts to provide insight by presenting "grotesques" or caricatures of people and their lives. The major themes are loneliness and failure, and so one can imagine that the tales are not very uplifting. The book is fairly easy to read and depicts a suprising view of pre-industrial life.

A classic American book
Sherwood Anderson's one great book contains the moving stories of the odd characters of one small American Midwest tone. His exact and lyrical pictures of this world gave new meaning to the depiction of the everyday in American Literature. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Egg, and Other Stories," which was published two years after the innovative, influential 1919 masterpiece Winesburg, Ohio, solidified Sherwood Anderson's reputation as a major American writer. Despite their narrative simplicity (similar in style to the work of Hemingway, who was highly influenced by Anderson's technique), "The Egg, and Other Stories" explores intriguing psychological depths, redolent with personal epiphanies, erotic undercurrents, and sudden eruptions of passion among seemingly repressed, inarticulate Midwesterners. Anderson, who was one of Hemingway and Faulkner's mentors, will surprise you if you haven't read Anderson before. His delicate use of pathos and delicious sense of humor feel so contemporary. "The Egg" seems to capture the American entrepreneurial spirit and its often discouraging results with an especially humorous irony. Faulkner was right--short stories require more of a writer, as every word must forward the author's intent, and Anderson's success in "The Egg, and Other Stories" proves that, like Hemingway, he may have been a better short story writer than novelist. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A great collection of Sherwood Anderson Stories
In "The Egg" (also known as "The Triumph of the Egg," Sherwood Anderson abandons the unity of place an interrelationships between characters that had been so successful for him in "Winesburg, Ohio." Despite this change, a consistency of thought still makes this collection an important collection in the Sherwood Anderson canon. In addition to the frequently anthologized "I Want to Know Why," "The Egg" exhibits both the simplicity and ambiguity of Anderson's attempts to come to terms with the meaning of life. Other short stories in this Sherwood Anderson collection include "The Dumb Man," "Seeds," "The Other Woman," "Unlighted Lamps," "Senility," "The Man in the Brown Coat," "Brothers," "The Door of the Trap," "The New Englander," "War," "Motherhood," and "Out of Nowhere Into Nothing."

"The Egg" is a powerful story, and great introduction to Sherwood Anderson
The title story (The Egg, or The Triumph of the Egg) is a powerful one, and an excellent introduction to Anderson for anyone who is unfamiliar. "The Egg" is a widely praised tale where the narrator looks back to his youth. The main character, who is a cheerful farm worker, becomes ambitious to give his boy something better and so buys a chicken farm. The farm fails, after which the man tries to run a restaurant which also fails. The man then makes a pathetic attempt to become an entertainer. The strength of the story is derived from the balance of gross exaggeration and pathos. It balances the mood of a fable with social criticism, and is one of Anderson's best works.

Sherwood Anderson (1876-1941) was an American novelist and short story writer. In addition to "The Egg and Other Stories," he wrote a short story sequence Winesburg, Ohio. Writers he influenced included Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and John Steinbeck.

Short Stories Must Be Finely Crafted
Anytime we get a chance to read something by one of Hemingway and Faulkner's mentors, it's bound to be a unique treat, but this book will surprise you if you haven't read Anderson before.His delicate use of pathos and delicious sense of humor feel so contemporary. We Loved "The Egg" especially as it seemed to capture the American entreprenurial spirit and its often discouraging results with an especially humorous irony. Faulkner was right--short stories require more of a writer, as every word must forward the author's intent, and Anderson's success here proves that, like Hemingway, he may have been a better short story writer than novelist.

GrandDaddy ofmodern American short fiction
Sherwood's ghost and his readers may not like the ugly pullet on the cover, but inside is a collection of wonderful writing and story-telling.If you write fiction, read it and learn.

Read "I'm a Fool" and see if Salinger was really so innovative after all.

Sherwood Anderson should be more well-known
I love reading short stories, and I think this is the best collection of stories I've ever read.I hope I get these titles right: I think especially notable are A Death In The Woods, The Corn Planting, Brother Death, The Other Woman, and The Masterpiece.There's not a bad story in here, and there are like 30 stories.I find Anderson's simple prose to be enchanting.His characterization is his strongest point; eighty years ago, he wrote characters to whom I can relate and understand today. ... Read more

Product Description
Inspired by Anderson's Midwestern boyhood and his adulthood in early 20th-century Chicago, this volume gave birth to the American story cycle, for which Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and later writers were forever indebted. Defying the prudish sensibilities of his time, Anderson embraced frankness and truth. Here we meet all those whose portraits brought the American short story into the modern age. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Intresting.
Few of the stories were intresting. I would not have read it had it not been for school though.

Winesburg Ohio
Book was received in a timely fashion in excellent condition.I would recommend this dealer. The story is a little strange and somewhat depressing so far,so why can't I put it down?Thanks for the service.

Good reading
My lady friend likes to read a lot.Whenever she hints at what interests her I respond by consulting and buying from Amazon.It's an easy place to shop online.
The price is right; the sellers ship right away; the books come on time; She's happy and there are no losers here.Jerry R in Inglewood

One of my favorites...
My senior high school english teacher had me read this book...although that was years ago, I picked this up the other day and read it all the way through, for at least the 7th time...Anderson is an amazing writing, and some of the short stories in this book, I feel, are windows into the moments I think we all have in life...

OK, BUT . . .
I dispute mentions of Anderson as an inspiration for Hemingway, et al.
These stories are sparse narrations, tales of mundane events in ways
that to me drummed on without revealing plots or character of unusual
interest. Like, descriptive, but not so entertaining or enlightening.
Maybe of worth to sense the tenor of those Middle America times. But
a vintage Sears & Roebuck's catelogue could do it too.

In 20-some stories I found only several which tweaked my interest and
provided unique human insights. Phrasing was expository and its meter
was consistent through all stories; compared to a semi-contemporaneous
writer The Stories of John Cheeverof Anderson's
time, John Cheever, these are pretty flat reads. ... Read more

Product Description
An anthology of thirty stories from previously unpublished manuscripts and earlier collections features the uniquely American vision of loneliness by the author who elevated short fiction from the conventionality of popular magazines and shaped it into individual expression. Reprint. IP. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great selection of Anderson's best work
I find that Andersons best work has been put into this book, and if you decide to purchase any of his books, this is the one to get.It has a great introduction and kept me glued to it until the last moments ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of short stories dealing with a small town in Ohio. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

winesburg
Very good book outlining a small city in Ohio such as Clyde! Author did a fine job illustrating what this city did during the late 1800's and early 1900's. Easy to read and enjoyable to read!

A Landmark of American Literature
WINESBURG, OHIO is a book I'd heard of since I became aware of literature. I wondered whether it was passe' or dated, or might somehow hold my interest. Rather than turn its pages, I heard it 'performed', this past week, on audiocassette in my car as I drove to and form work and other places.

I found it to be strangely 'relevant'. Anderson wrote intimately of the people in a small midwesten town, as the industrial/railroad age was in full swing in America and the age of the automobile had not really arrived yet. But the people he writes of shared, for me, much of the modern sensibility of isolation and alienation that became the basis for much later writing. The gallery of mostly 'grotesques', as Anderson calls them in his introductory piece, bears resemblance in many ways to the denizens of a rooming house in a large city. Each has his/her scars that have caused the bloom of the person's youth to congeal in an isolated, armored middle or old age. There are, fortunately, a few exceptions to this model, a few souls who yet have a chance, and indeed, the protagonist figure, who is most likely a stand-in for the author, leaves town at book's end for a new life in an unspecified city.

Most of the interesting characters, though, whether farmers or inhabitants of the town, are stuck, living on a thin gruel of memory or delusion, as a result of some earlier circumstance or trauma.

The most memorable tale, entitled 'Godliness', follows the life of a young man who went off to Cleveland to study for the ministry, and is called back to run the family farm when all his brothers are killed in the Civil War (whose ghosts haunt this book) . He sees himself as a biblical Abraham, and the rest of the farmers in the valley appear to him as the Phillistines, whose land he feels destined to own. The man, named Jesse, like the father of King David, is a fascinating admixture of strong character and dangerous delusion. Of course he feels positively destined to have a male heir, whom he will name David, and when his only child is a girl, he feels cheated, and denies her love. She finally has a son, whom of course they name David, but the story STILL eludes Jesse's control in powerful, ironic ways.

I'm glad I've finally experienced WINESBURG, OHIO. There's too much literature in the world, it seems to me, for any one person to be well-versed. But I like it when I can fill in some of the obvious potholes in my background.

Not a Flat Character
In Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, the main character of the book is George Willard. George Willard is a reporter for the local newspaper, the Winesburg Eagle. When first looking at the book, one would think that George is a flat character, but after looking back through, one may discover that George Willard is as round as a character can get.
George Willard has the ability to make friends with people in Winesburg that other people don't associate with, and ends up bringing out the best in them. For example, when George befriends Wing Biddlebaum, he is able to draw Wing out of his shell and understand partially why he is always keeping to himself. "There's something wrong, but I don't want to know what it is. His hands have something to do with his fear of me and of everyone" (11). Another that George is able to communicate with is Doctor Parcival, a crazy old man that showed up in Winesburg about five years ago. He would talk all day to George about his travels and life (22).
George Willard grows in the book by some of his experiences with women, such as Louise Trunnion and Kate Swift. When George was seeing Louise, it was because he had received a letter saying, `"I'm yours if you want me."' When George had arrived at Louise's house, he was greeted by, `"How do you know I want to go out with you,' she said sulkily. `What makes you so sure?"' He was upset and confused by the situation, but Louise still went out with him (28). When it came to Kate Swift though, George was somewhat better off due to the fact that she also had feelings for George. "He took a pillow into his arms and embraced it thinking first of the school teacher, who by her words had stirred something within him . . ." (86). After spending time with Kate, he realized that she is a woman, and he is a man.
" She was a teacher but she was also a woman. As she looked at George Willard,
the passionate desire to be loved by a man, that had a thousand times before swept like a storm over her body, took possession of her. In the lamplight George Willard looked no longer a boy, but a man ready to play the part of a man."
Something snaps inside Kate Swift and she erupts into a violent fit striking George, and leaving him alone and confused (90-91).
At first glance, George doesn't make any moral choices, but when you look back, you realize that he does by standing up for someone. When George Willard is talking to Seth Richmond, he asks Seth to go talk to Helen White for him. `"I've been trying to write a love story, . . . I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to fall in love. I've been sitting here and thinking it over and I'm going to do it"' (73). Seth is irritated with this rash statement, but nothing else happens. Later on when George meets Tom Foster, Tom is drunk, and saying things about Helen that George knows is not true. "The drunken boy talked of Helen White and said he had been with her on the shore of a sea and had made love to her. George had seen Helen White walking in the street with her father during the evening." Hearing Tom Foster talk about Helen like that infuriated George and told him, "I won't let Helen White's name be dragged into this. I won't let that happen" (121).
George Willard is an emotionally deep person; he just doesn't always show it.
When Aunt Elizabeth Swift comes to watch over the body of Elizabeth Willard, George breaks down and lets the realization that his mother has passed, sink in. "He put his hand into hers and began to sob, shaking his head from side to side, half blind with grief. `My mother is dead,' he said,"' (129).
George Willard is a round main character and should be recognized as such.

Stories that interrelate in surprising, often brilliant ways
When I discovered this book, I was already writing a story cycle of my own, The Acorn Stories. Winesburg, Ohio became a strong influence on that book, and also led me to write New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio. In Sherwood Anderson's acclaimed story cycle, a small town finds itself entering the twentieth century with loneliness and confusion. The same industrialism that Anderson would explore so well in his novel Poor White also asserts itself constantly here, turning a beautiful landscape into a sometimes desecrated one.

The young reporter George Willard appears in most of the stories, providing a connection for people who feel they lack connection and a voice for people who feel they lack a voice. Though many readers consider this book a bleak and disjointed novel, I consider it a collection of stories that interrelate in surprising, often brilliant ways. As for the bleak part, please also look at the many moments of comfort, the many sparks of inspiration.

I eventually lost track of how many times I read Winesburg, Ohio. I just know I'll read it again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

no title
" The machines men are so intent on making have carried them very far from the old sweet things."
This quote from the book sums up its core philosophy very nicely.Surely this is Anderson's best book, also depressing, but not as much as "Winesburg, Ohio", and quite sweet in its depiction of a life now lost.Anderson must have deeply loved the country and its farms to have described it so wondrously.And his skill in depicting even the most minute of characters is quite remarkable.This ability to draw out of the smallest things such vivid detail, is really outstanding.I liked this book very much and would almost wish to return to those "old sweet things".He really abhored the machine age and, as in "Winesburg", all his people, especially Clara and Hugh, are abysmal at trying to connect with their fellow human beings.Created with a lot of suspense.

Excellent tale of America's transition to industrialism!
If you thought that Winesburg Ohio was good, then you'll absolutely love Poor White.It has a similar feel as Winesburg, except this story revolves around two main characters, Hugh McVey and Clara Butterworth.Poor Whitetells of how the spread of industrialism affected the agrarian towns of theMidwest.

An important document of America's changing landscape.
Sherwood Anderson captures America's change from agrarian to industrial, with insightful and poetic writing. This is a perfect companion to Anderson's best-known work (Winesburg, Ohio) as well as to the many non-fiction books on the same topic (The Machine in the Garden, etc.). ... Read more

Product Description
"Nothing quite like it has ever been done in America. . . .It is so vivid, so full of insight, so shiningly life-like and glowing, that the book is lifted into a category all its own," wrote H.L. Mencken, speaking of Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio. Anderson, he said, is "America's Most Distinctive Novelist."

Windy McPherson's Son, Anderson's 1916 first novel, concerns a boy's life in Iowa. Like all of Anderson's tales, it's an important social commentary, and not to be overlooked. ... Read more

Product Description
Winesburg, Ohio (1919) is Sherwood Anderson's masterpiece, a cycle of short stories concerning life in a small town at the end of the nineteenth century. At the center is George Willard, a young reporter who becomes the confidant of the town's solitary figures. Anderson's stories influenced countless American writers including Hemingway, Faulkner, Updike, Oates and Carver. This new edition corrects errors made in earlier editions and takes into account major criticism and textual scholarship of the last several decades. ... Read more

Product Description
It is evening and the people of Chicago go home from work. Clatter, clatter, clatter, go the heels on the hard pavements, jaws wag, the wind blows and dirt drifts and sifts through the masses of the people. Every one has dirty ears. The stench in the street cars is horrible. The antiquated bridges over the rivers are packed with people. The suburban trains going away south and west are cheaply constructed and dangerous. A people calling itself great and living in a city also called great go to their houses a mere disorderly mass of humans cheaply equipped. Everything is cheap. When the people get home to their houses they sit on cheap chairs before cheap tables and eat cheap food. ... Read more

Product Description

    Sherwood Anderson: A Writer in America is the definitive biography of this major American writer of novels and short stories, whose work includes the modern classic Winesburg, Ohio. In the first volume of this monumental two-volume work, Walter Rideout chronicles the life of Anderson from his birth and his early business career through his beginnings as a writer and finally to his move in the mid-1920s to “Ripshin,” his house near Marion, Virginia. The second volume will cover Anderson’s return to business pursuits, his extensive travels in the South touring factories, which resulted in his political involvement in labor struggles and several books on the topic, and finally his unexpected death in 1941.

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Back to the basics of literary description
I was drawn toward this book after doing some review work. It defines an era in the development of United States literary history around the 1800's,and also seems to pre-date Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein in its literary clarity. Also, this 1924 book while a little ragged in its cover was nicely preserved inside. ... Read more

Product Description
Winesburg, Ohio was inspired by Sherwood Anderson's early life experiences growing up in Ohio. This frank realistic portrayal of small town life brought the novel into the twentieth century. The influence of this book cannot be overstated. Writer's as diverse as Ray Bradbury, Amos Oz, and Henry Miller, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were deeply influenced by this American classic. ... Read more

Product Description
A collection of short stories dealing with a small town in Ohio. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I'm pretty sure Anderson never wrote a book of toasts
I'm not sure how this happened, but it's kind of crazy. I previously ordered "The Egg and Other Stories" and throughly enjoyed it. I thought "Winesburg Ohio" would be a good follow-up. When I received the book, I paged through and thought it was odd that there was a lot of poetry in the book. My understanding was that Winesburg was a collection of short stories...Anyway, I just got back to the book and found out that it's really a book of toasts by Jennifer Conover published by New American Library. However, the cover is clearly the one for "Winesburg Ohio." And the great part is that the book is repeated so the number of pages fits in the cover.

I'd return it, but it's pretty cool. Maybe I'll auction it on ebay. If anyone knows how this could happen, let me know.

+3 stars for the novelty; -2 stars because I still have to order the book (it won't be Penguin this time)

Stories that interrelate in surprising, often brilliant ways
When I discovered this book, I was already writing a story cycle of my own, The Acorn Stories. Winesburg, Ohio became a strong influence on that book, and also led me to write New Readings of Winesburg, Ohio. In Sherwood Anderson's acclaimed story cycle, a small town finds itself entering the twentieth century with loneliness and confusion. The same industrialism that Anderson would explore so well in his novel Poor White also asserts itself constantly here, turning a beautiful landscape into a sometimes desecrated one.

The young reporter George Willard appears in most of the stories, providing a connection for people who feel they lack connection and a voice for people who feel they lack a voice. Though many readers consider this book a bleak and disjointed novel, I consider it a collection of stories that interrelate in surprising, often brilliant ways. As for the bleak part, please also look at the many moments of comfort, the many sparks of inspiration.

I eventually lost track of how many times I read Winesburg, Ohio. I just know I'll read it again.

a benevolent look at the grotesque nature of human beings
This book from 1919 really deserves to be read more often and by more people.It is a collection of 23 linked short stories, and is prefaced by a very strange frame narration called "The Book of the Grotesque."Anderson's basic premise is that any time a person clings to a notion of truth, he or she becomes grotesque.This is an interesting rallying cry for cultural relativism, particularly given the time period in which it was written.The stories themselves, which tend to have a quiet, almost meditative tone reflective of small town life in the midwest, are subtle.They usually concern only one or two people in the town of Winesburg, and usually depict a point where the character goes wrong, usually because of stubbornly clinging to a misguided belief or idea.The stories are further linked by the young man George Willard, who for a while serves as the town's newspaper reporter.Highly recommended! ... Read more