Contemporary and Classic Arguments: A Portable Anthology

In response to requests for briefer and less expensive argument readers, Contemporary and Classic Arguments offers an ample selection of readings in a compact size for about half the price of similar books. Adapted from the best-selling full-size argument text/reader Current Issues and Enduring Questions, it offers both a provocative selection of contemporary arguments to engage students with some of today's most pressing topics, and a collection of classic essays that provide time-tested models of effective argument.

SYLVAN BARNET, professor of English and former director of writing at Tufts University, is the most prolific and consistently successful college English textbook author of the past 30 years. His several texts on writing and his numerous anthologies for introductory composition and literature courses have remained leaders in their field through many editions.

HUGO BEDAU, professor of philosophy at Tufts University, has served as chair of the philosophy department and chair of the university's committee on College Writing. An internationally respected expert on the death penalty, and on moral, legal, and political philosophy, he has written or edited a number of books on these topics. He is the author of Thinking and Writing about Philosophy, Second Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002).