The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays of Wendell Berry was published by Counterpoint in 2002, edited and introduced by Norman Wirzba, and functions as the definitive single-volume introduction to Berry’s nonfiction thought. It draws from seven previous essay collections spanning thirty years — from The Long-Legged House (1969) through Another Turn of the Crank (1995) — selecting the pieces that together constitute Berry’s most comprehensive statement on agriculture, community, economy, and the meaning of work.
The Essays
The collection is organized thematically rather than chronologically, moving from foundational principles to specific applications:
“The Art of the Commonplace” — Berry’s argument that the ordinary — cooking, gardening, building, repairing — is not beneath art but is art’s proper subject and method. The modern distinction between “creative” work and manual labor is destructive to both.
“The Pleasures of Eating” — one of Berry’s most widely reprinted pieces, arguing that eating is an agricultural act, that consumers who don’t know where their food comes from are passive participants in destruction.
“Think Little” — Berry’s response to the environmental movement’s focus on government action. Real change, he argues, begins with individual responsibility: grow a garden, learn a skill, reduce your dependency.
“Feminism, the Body, and the Machine” — Berry’s response to the controversy over “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer,” extending his argument about technology, dependency, and the meaning of household economy.
“Conservation Is Good Work” — on the relationship between environmental protection and practical labor.
“Sex, Economy, Freedom, and Community” — Berry’s most sustained argument that sexuality, economics, and political freedom are connected through the concept of community membership.
Function
The collection serves a practical purpose: Berry’s essay collections are numerous (twenty-plus volumes), individually excellent, but collectively daunting for new readers. The Art of the Commonplace provides a curated path through the essential arguments, allowing readers to encounter Berry’s thought as a coherent system rather than a scattered series of occasional pieces.
Wirzba’s introduction places Berry’s work in the tradition of agrarian thought from Jefferson through the Southern Agrarians to contemporary sustainable agriculture — a useful contextualization for readers unfamiliar with that tradition.
Collecting The Art of the Commonplace
First edition (Counterpoint, Washington D.C., 2002): Trade paperback original with hardcover simultaneous edition.
Identification points:
- Counterpoint imprint
- Edited by Norman Wirzba
- First edition stated
- 330 pages
Market values: The hardcover first edition brings $75–$200. The paperback ($20–$40) is the common edition.
Signed copies: $200–$500.
The book’s function as a Berry gateway — the volume most often recommended by his readers to newcomers — means it circulates widely and drives readers toward the individual collections and novels, sustaining interest in Berry’s entire body of work.