Manly and Rickert's 1922 guide explicitly states it was designed as a companion to their volume on British literature, yet the American edition required a different approach. The editors frankly acknowledge that while the U.S. had a few writers comparable to England's best, many commercially successful works "cannot rank as literature at all." Their selection principles—favoring experimental work and representing "varying tendencies" over popular taste—reveal a deliberate critical stance. The cutoff date of 1914, chosen for its significance, excludes pre-war writers and shapes the canon presented.

Selection Criteria and Critical Stance

The editors' introduction lays out two governing principles: include work that deals with fresh materials or attempts new methods, and represent literary tendencies rather than high popular taste. This is not a neutral bibliography but a curated list with an explicit agenda. The biographical entries reinforce this, often highlighting an author's departure from convention. For example, Alfred Kreymborg is described as "a rebel against all conventions of form and content," and readers are directed to consider his work alongside Futurist, Cubist, and Vorticist movements. The entry for Grace King explains her writing grew from a desire to present Creole society "from the inside," correcting what she saw as an outsider's misrepresentation. These details show the editors valuing innovation and authentic perspective over mere popularity.

Structure and Use of Bibliographic Entries

Each author entry follows a consistent pattern: a brief biographical note, a selective bibliography (complete for major authors), and a list of studies and reviews. The biographical information is limited to details "of interest for the interpretation of work." For instance, Joyce Kilmer's entry notes his mother's musical talent and his journalistic work, while Kreymborg's mentions his chess prodigy background and founding of The Glebe. The "Suggestions for Reading" sections, present for some authors, pose direct questions—such as "How far his utterances are sincere and how far posed" for Kreymborg—guiding the student's critical engagement. The back matter includes indexes by form, birthplace, and subject-matter/local color, making the volume a practical tool for thematic or regional study.

The 1914 Boundary and Its Implications

The editors define "contemporary" as beginning with World War I, excluding writers who died before August 1914 and living authors who produced no work after that date. This boundary is arbitrary but significant, as they note: "no other date since then is so significant as 1914." The excerpts show this cutoff in action: the entry for Joyce Kilmer, who died in 1918, includes his war-related work, while earlier figures are omitted. The focus on post-1914 literature means the volume captures a moment of literary transition, emphasizing authors who were active during or after the war. This temporal framing shapes the selection, privileging those who responded to the era's upheavals.

Readers should approach this volume as a historical document of literary taste in the early 1920s, not as an exhaustive survey. The editors' frankness about their choices—prioritizing experimental work over popular success—makes the guide a revealing snapshot of academic critical values. The indexes and study suggestions offer practical entry points for exploring the period's literature, but the selections themselves invite reflection on how canons are constructed.