World Literature

This series aims to "introduce students to the world's greatest works of literature," and this volume presents 41 works, both novels and short stories. Essays lean heavily toward the Western cultures; the product page on Salem's website states that the selection represents the "most studied" works of literature (presumably most studied in the United States). Essays are signed and average between five and eight pages in length (not including discussion questions, works cited, and images). Each entry contains a summary and social, biographical, and somewhat unexpectedly, "scientific and technological" context on the work in question. Curiously, the essays do not begin by stating the writers' origins. Worth noting is Salem's policy of providing the digital version free with the purchase of the print book. Titles belonging to the same subject collections (Salem Literature, Salem Science, Salem Health, et al) are collectively searchable, but, unfortunately, it is not possible to search across collections.