Widely praised for its thought-provoking readings, The Longman Reader remains the most successful rhetorically organized freshman composition reader.

The Longman Reader features highly praised writing pedagogy in a rhetorically-organized reader. The opening chapter offers specific strategies for active reading, and for each pattern-of-development chapter, The Longman Reader includes a detailed introduction that asks the reader to consider audience and purpose, concrete revision strategies, a peer review checklist, an annotated sample essay with extensive analysis, prewriting and revising activities, and a comprehensive list of possible writing topics. Both beloved and fresh professional essays range widely in subject matter and approach, from the humorous to the informative, from personal meditation to argument, and capture the reader's interest while clearly illustrating a specific pattern of development.