Books from Madison

Two quick pictures and one point:

The first picture shows a variety of classics that I was able to obtain for very low prices (mentioned last post) from Madison this past weekend!



Oxford, Penguin, Dover, Signet, Bantam, Konemann, and Barnes & Noble Classics!

My next picture is to display one big difference among classics. The book on the left is more mainstream. People recognize the author and the title. The book on the right, I had never heard of before last weekend. Both classics.



Now while plenty of people have read the book on the left, probably few people have read the book on the right. One reason for this blog is perhaps exploring why this disparity exists.

The first picture also shows a more middle ground in regards to the question I just asked. While Robert Louis Stevenson is much more known than Paul Laurence Dunbar, how many people have really heard of his classic Catriona in comparison to Treasure Island? In the same vein, while many people may associate Kate Chopin with The Awakening, it is easy for me to believe that relatively few people who have not studied Kate Chopin or somehow had a literature class devoted partially to her would have heard of (or read) Bayou Folk or A Night in Acadie.

If you've read either of these lesser known books by Paul Laurence Dunbar, Robert Louis Stevensen, or Kate Chopin i'd really like to see your comments on how they were. I'll read them someday, but i'll read them sooner if I get some good reviews!