Charles William Eliot, compiler and editor of the Harvard Classics anthology. The Harvard Classics, originally known as Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf, is a 51-volume anthology of classic works from world literature, compiled and edited by Harvard University president Charles W. Eliot and first published in 1909.[1] Eliot had stated in speeches that the elements of a liberal education could be obtained by spending 15 minutes a day reading from a collection of books that could fit on a five-foot shelf. Eliot worked for one year with William A. Contents[edit] The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction[edit] The Harvard Classics Shelf of Fiction was selected by Charles W. Enduring success[edit] As Adam Kirsch, writing for Harvard magazine in 2001, notes, "It is surprisingly easy, even today, to find a complete set of the Harvard Classics in good condition. Similar compendia[edit] References[edit] Further reading and external links[edit]
