This second edition of a popular anthology of American short stories is the rare body of literary fiction published by Oxford University Press. I collaborated with Joyce Carol Oates on the story selections, which was a fascinating experience. (And acquiring rights to sixty stories taught me everything I ever want to know about the byzantine permissions process at many publishing houses and literary estates!) Some of my favorite contemporary stories we added in this edition included Lorrie Moore's “How to Become a Writer,” Richard Ford's “Under the Radar,” Junot Diaz's “Edison, New Jersey,” David Foster Wallace's “Good People,” Philip Roth's “Defender of the Faith,” and Amy Hempel's "Today Will Be a Quiet Day.” 

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To see more of the books I edited for Oxford University Press, including The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, Garner's Modern English Usage, and more, scroll down to the bottom of this page.