Here's a book that will appeal to all well-read individuals, at many levels, for many reasons. For starters, as an anthology it is a collection of texts--both fiction and non-fiction-that are just plain engaging, intrinsically so, whoever the author. No wonder, since they are all by some of the most accomplished, most admired, British and American writers of their time and to this day. Then there is the sheer surprise and pleasure in discovering that these texts are so unlike the work associated with these authors-again, authors whose enduring reputations lead you to think you could not be surprised by anything they wrote. And finally, the aspect that makes this anthology unique: the format that invites you to identify, to guess, just who is the author of the texts you have enjoyed. For this is how and why this anthology has been concocted: a deliberate selection of offbeat texts set forth in such a way that you will not learn whether you have guessed the correct author until you turn to the back of the book. And in fact, as "e;offbeat"e; as these texts are there are clues-whether in the subject matter, point of view or style-to give the perceptive reader a fair chance of guessing correctly. So go ahead-test your knowledge, your perceptiveness, all the while enjoying a good read!
