The "Norton Anthology," a mammoth book collecting stories, essays, poetry, and other writings from a wide range of authors (coming in many editions covering specific regions [e.g., "The Norton Anthology of American Literature"]), launched in 1962 and quickly became a staple of classrooms around the world.
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or excerpts by different authors.