FROM THE BEGINNING IN 1976, well before the current plethora of essay anthologies, the editors of The Pushcart Prize recognized and celebrated the essay. This monumental collection selects opinions and reflections on much of the social, literary, and political history of recent decades from authors including Andre Dubus, Thomas Lynch, Charles Simic, Louise Erdrich, Philip Lopate, Donald Barthelme, Seamus Heaney, William Kittredge, Naomi Shihab Nye, Philip Levine, and many more.