Broadview Bookshelves provide digital access to over 450 meticulously edited historical works.
For more than 30 years, Broadview’s editions have presented classic works of literature, both canonical and lesser-known, in a reader-friendly format with scholarly introductions, footnotes, and appendices to situate each work in its historical and cultural moment. These new digital Bookshelves provide instant, affordable, and user-friendly access to our celebrated editions. All books are provided through the VitalSource eBook platform, which is accessible on computers and mobile devices.
What are Broadview Bookshelves?
Broadview’s editions have been warmly welcomed into countless classrooms since the inaugural volumes were published in 1994. They are valued among experts, students, and collectors alike for their reliability, helpful annotations, accessible introductions, and enlightening appendices.
Now, for the first time, over 450 of Broadview’s editions—from Plato and The Canterbury Tales to The Female American and Mrs. Dalloway—are available in one place at an affordable price.
The Broadview Editions Bookshelf includes a global collection of over 450 editions; The Broadview British Bookshelf contains over 330 meticulously edited works from the British tradition; and the Broadview American Bookshelf showcases the breadth of American literature across over 80 editions.
All books are provided through the VitalSource eBook platform, which is accessible on computers and mobile devices. The VitalSource interface provides:
- Easy navigation of contents
- Bookmarking
- Notetaking
- Highlighting
- Reflowable text to fit your screen
- Accessibility features, including adjustable text size and audio
Desktop
Phone
Tablet
Included Titles
To see the full list of editions included in each of the Broadview Digital Bookshelves, visit the individual Bookshelf pages. You can find them here:
For Individual Purchase
Broadview Bookshelves are available for purchase worldwide through Vitalsource:
Students, researchers, and readers of all kinds may purchase according to their needs:
- 4-month subscription
- 1-year subscription
- 4-year subscription
Purchasing a subscription will grant immediate access to all included editions. If new editions are added, they will be made available to both new and existing subscribers.
For Classroom Adoption
If you are an instructor and would like to consider adopting one of our Bookshelves for a course, you can request a sample using the form below. Should you assign the Bookshelf, you will receive complete complimentary access to the collection for the duration of your course (simply contact your Broadview representative or reps@broadviewpress.com or to arrange this).
Request Access to Broadview Digital Bookshelves
Instructors wishing to adopt this collection for classroom use can submit the following ISBNs to their bookstore:
- Broadview Editions Bookshelf:
- Broadview American Bookshelf:
- Broadview British Bookshelf: SUB-9148961810
The Bookshelves are particularly well-suited to classroom use. Whether you organize your course by chronology, author, theme, or genre, the Bookshelves offer unparallelled flexibility, with quick access to all included volumes.
A few examples of how they can be used:
- A survey course in which students are assigned The Age of Innocence, Pride & Prejudice, andLittle Women, and then allowed to choose any one other text as the focus of their final essay. Students—and professors—will have access to many other texts, allowing them to pursue themes they find most appealing.
- A course on Victorian novels for which three books have already been selected but the choices for a fourth and fifth will be driven by time constraints or student interest. By adopting the Bookshelf, the instructor will have flexibility to select and assign additional novels at any time before or during the course.
- A course on Western intellectual history, where students need to sample from a wide range of literature and non-fiction. The Broadview Editions Bookshelf includes not only novels, plays, and poetry, but also many works of philosophy and politics.
- A course with a student body that overlaps significantly with that of other courses taught in the department. Students with access to the Bookshelf may have all they need for multiple courses in one subscription.
Editions in the Bookshelves offer:
- Reliable primary texts, carefully edited by academic experts;
- Introductions designed for student readers;
- Footnote annotations to clarify unfamiliar terms and references;
- Appendices of related historical materials that shed light on the context of the work;
- Pagination that matches the print book;
- Industry-leading accessibility features such as scalable text, alt-text of images, and audio.
The Bookshelves can be ordered through any post-secondary bookstore in the United States or Canada, in the same manner as a typical textbook. Students can also purchase a subscription on their own through the links provided above.
For Library & Institutional Adoption
Libraries and institutions can purchase access to the Bookshelves for student and faculty use at affordable rates.
For information about library or institutional purchases, please contact bookshelves@broadviewpress.com.
“The Broadview series is not just great for teaching; it also has changed the way we do scholarship.”
—Suzanne Daly, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
“… a series in which the editing is something of an art form.”
—Washington Post