Traditions, voices, and dreams Book

As with the predecessor, 'Tradition and Dream' is just a great piece of literary history. But it's better than the earlier history (which dealt with English fiction until about 1914) for a few reasons. First, there are more gems to be discovered here. Odds are, there aren't many really good books from the 19th century that are under the radar; but there might well be from the 20th. Second, it seems that the publishers at the NYRB press used this book to choose which books to bring back into print, which is both funny (since I wouldn't exactly call Walter Allen ahead of his time) and nice. You get a good summary of these lost minor classics.
Anyway, it's a quick read despite its length, and is a great way to get a first glimpse of early and mid twentieth century fiction from England and America.