As a dedicated autodidact, I love the idea of the best introduction to…. Scott Kaufman is trying to marshall the crowd intelligence available through the Web to compile a list of the best introductions to various domains of literature and literary theory. I agree with one of the comments which suggests the best introduction is the primary literature, rather than the secondary, but Kaufman’s goal is decidedly worthwhile.

In other domains, such as history or scientific fields, where the primary sources are less accessible to lay readers, finding the best introduction would be particularly helpful.

For similar reasons, I think Oxford University Press’s Very Short Introduction series is wonderful. A Kaufman-like list would be the natural next step for the curious.