John Updike: The Collected Stories: A Library of America Boxed Set

Received this two volume set today from Amazon. I have already read the 1st 3 stories in the collection on this first evening. At first I was disappointed because it appeared AS IF the volumes contained only the stories in chronological order without any information about the stories themselves or when/where they were published. Looking further I was elated to discover a lengthy "Notes on Texts" in the back of the book. The section contained the information I was looking for and other details about each published story. I read these first then the corresponding story. If your eyes are not 20/20 you may need reading glasses as the font is somewhat small (but adequate for the size of the book). The paper is rather thin, but given the number of stories in each volume, it sort of has to be or thee books would be VERY thick. I do not regret ordering the set and plan to order more from the Library of America Series. The price on the box is listed as $75. Amazon has it for much less. The last point, the two volumes coming in a nicely done storage box. Happy reading.Scott A. ReidHampton, [email protected]

Overall this is an excellent collection of Updikes short stories, presented in the order of composition with exhaustive biographical and textual notes, enhancing an appreciation of the artist's development. However, completists will find that as in previous Updike anthologies recurring characters such as the wry Henry Bech and the maritally doomed Maples are only represented by the stories wherein they made their debuts. For subsequent stories, one will have to get The Complete Henry Bech or The Maples Stories.

Three years later, the premature passing of John Updike still grieves me, but this beautiful set lifted my emotions once again. As great as Updike's best novels were, to my mind, he was truly at his most consistent best in the short story medium. This volume contains all of his published stories, as well as a few rarities/variants, and is the first to be arranged chronologically by date of publication. As much as he did in the Rabbit tetrology, in his short fiction Updike seems to capture the full range of pleasures, contradictions, and deeply felt passions of the American middle class (and more often upper middle suburban), as its warriors, lovers, and often warring-lovers negotiated the shoals of married life from the era of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, through the era of the Clintons. Since Updike's work is clearly self-recommending, I need not say more, except to those who know him mostly through the Rabbit books: the short stories offer Updike at his most delicious -- and precise -- best.

I've always to have a set like this. My wife gave this to me for a birthday present this year. Updike was at his best and most comfortable with the short story. Thanks for this!

Good comprehensive collection of a gifted writer in my generation. Beautifully produced 2-volume treasure.

For anyone who wants to study Updike's style and plot development, this work is well worth having. As for the literary value alone that may be questionable, although the fame and idol worship surrounding Updike tends toward a contrary view. Ed Spievack, author of the Memoirs of an Unfinished Generation.

Excellent book! Bought it for my babe who has some strange Updyke fetish. Let's just say I GOT LAID! Lol. An excellent buy for the geeky bookphile! Great quality!

For Updike fans this two volume collection of his short stories are wonderful sequential read of his "lucid eye" developing in the art of the New Yorker type short story. Taken as an extraordinary master of the autobiographic fictive tale of late Twentieth century middle class ethos along the Eastern Seaboard, highly recommended for writers and students of American culture.

An edition from the Library of America is always a cause for celebration, because they are so beautifully made; this is no exception, arriving in a handsome cloth slipcase with a nice painting of Updike on it (though he is not smiling! In my experience, John U was ALWAYS smiling!).The contents, though, are what really matters, and here there is no disappointment. You have of course been able to acquire these stories before; but this is a really well-considered collection of 186 of Updike's finest short fictions. From the very first (which is 'Ace in the Hole', the story which later was reworked at length into Rabbit, Run) to some stories he wrote knowing he was dying - there are real treats in store.You do not have to love John Updike to love this book: one extraordinary thing for me was to see his variety as a writer. He is famous for writing about love, couples, sex, infidelity, but many of my favourite moments in these two volumes were to do with how well he writes families and children. "La Bébésitter", about a French afternoon childminder looking in on a disintegrating American marriage; and my absolute favourite, "Should Wizard Hit Mommy?" about a dad making up a story for his daughter and realising she is beginning to have her own ideas of how the story should go, which he dislikes and resists!There are also some wonderful surreal moments where you sense Updike is 'trying on' Donald Barthelme and others 'for size' - "During the Jurassic', about, er, dinosaurs... and "Love Song for a Moog Synthesiser"...Also there are some amazing evocations of American childhood and youth - here the highlight is "The Happiest I've Been" about a boy driving with a friend to college, who stops at a party before leaving town. Superb.Of course there are also the many, many great stories he wrote about, well, love, couples, sex and infidelity. "The Women Who Got Away"..."Spanish Prelude to a Second Marriage" argh!!! SO great!! AND SO MANY!!(Speaking of marriage... Missing from this book are all the  The Maples Stories , which are collected nicely by Everyman and which do run so well together that it almost seems good not to have them mixed in in this volume.)If you love reading you should own this. It is a fitting tribute to a great writer and his many moods. The Maples Stories

Excellent

I wanted to have this added to my library as John Updike is one of my favourite authors. I am very pleased that now I own it.

Quality good but font too small