Work in progress.

Why I have a problem with Norton...

I do not like Norton Anthologies. Yes, they are convenient and they are relatively inexpensive for a textbook. Yet, I don't see the value in cramming all this stuff into one big book.

It kills me to have to read out of it. First of all, the print is terribly small. I realize that I am a squinter by nature, but there is nothing wrong with my eyes that hasn't already been corrected. Why is the type so hard to read? Could it be the tissue-thin pages, so thin that you can see the words on the next page through it?

Also, there are too many words on one page, so there aren't enough little pauses. Plus, you have less of a feeling of accomplishment when you finish a story. For example, Gulliver's Travels is around 160 pages. 160 pages out of 2975. Big deal.

I haven't even gotten to the real problem yet -- the sheer enormity of its size. It's big and heavy. You can't read it in a reclining position. You can't read it sitting down in a comfortable chair because your arms will hurt supporting it. You can't read it at a table in the library because you will have to bend your head down uncomfortably to read the small print. The only way I've found to read it is to sit on a uncushioned chair, my feet bent on another chair, with the spine perched on my lap desk.

Needless to say, all of these machinations cause me to pay less attention while I read. I'm too busy counting how many pages of this hell I've got left. I'm consumed with readjusting the book so that my eyes/hands/lap/wrists don't hurt. I can't seem to retain anything I read. Sure, Norton's have everything you'll ever need in it (except some excluded authors, of course) and are great for reference. But as for practicality? I may as well attempt to read from the unabridged dictionary.