The Best American Short Stories 1972

The series is considered one of the "best-known annual anthologies of short fiction"^[2] and has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, including works by some of the most famous writers in contemporary American literature.^[3][4][5]

In particular, the Willa Cather Review wrote that The Best American Short Stories series "became a repository of values" for creative writing programs, college libraries, and literary magazines.^[6] The Los Angeles Times, reflecting on the hundred-year anniversary of the series, noted that it eventually became an "institution" itself, often being taught in classrooms.^[7]