This Is My Best Great Writers Share Their Favorite Work

We all have our favorite pieces by our beloved writers. But what do they think is their own best work? Inspired by an acclaimed collection published in 1942, the editors at the Quality Paperback Book Club invited fiction writers, essayists, poets, playwrights, and cartoonists to choose and comment on their best work. The result is a veritable who's who of contemporary literature and popular culture, including selections by Anne Tyler, Arthur Miller, Gary Trudeau, David Sedaris, Rita Dove, Tom Robbins, Ruth Reichl, T. C. Boyle, Mary Karr, John Updike, and dozens more. Each selection is rewarding in itself; more still for the introductions in which the author explains his or her choice, shedding light on both the work and creative process. Appealing to readers of the annual best short story collections, writers, and fans of the stellar list of contributors,This Is My Bestis a landmark literary anthology.

Retha Powers is executive editor of the Quality Paperback Book Club. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times Magazine , Essence , Ms. , Vibe , and Glamour . She lives in New York City.

Kathy Kiernan is co-editor of First Fiction: An Anthology of the First Published Stories by Famous Writers . A former fiction editor at Jane magazine and now on the board of the Evergreen Review , she lives in New York City.