The text of this Norton Critical Edition is that of the first book edition, published in 1919, and includes Harald Toksvig's original map of the fictional Winesburg. Ample annotation is provided throughout.

"Backgrounds" includes five of Anderson's letters, which illustrate his ideas about the stories; memoirs in which he wrestles with the revision process; and eight reviews of Winesburg, Ohio by Anderson's contemporaries, among them H. L. Mencken and William Faulkner.

"Criticism" collects six of the most illuminating assessments of the book published in the last three decades. A variety of perspectives is provided by Walter B. Rideout, Sally Adair Rigsbee, John Updike, Joseph Dewey, Kim Townsend, and David Stouck.

A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are included.