For courses in first-year Composition. This version of The Blair Reader: Exploring Issues and Ideas has been updated to reflect the 8th Edition of the MLA Handbook (April 2016)* A thematic reader of unmatched breadth and balance--with a range of ideas that foster critical thinking and response For students to write effectively, they must first read actively and critically--and The Blair Reader's curated selection of readings supports this approach. Classic and contemporary selections stimulate discussion, encouraging students to discover new ideas and to view familiar ideas in new ways. The readings represent diverse ideas and genres; students will read essays, speeches, and short stories. Every selection is followed by questions to promote critical thinking and response about the reading and the theme, both to complement the readings and to support your instruction. * The 8th Edition introduces sweeping changes to the philosophy and details of MLA works cited entries. Responding to the "increasing mobility of texts," MLA now encourages writers to focus on the process of crafting the citation, beginning with the same questions for any source. These changes, then, align with current best practices in the teaching of writing which privilege inquiry and critical thinking over rote recall and rule-following.