Introduced and edited by Patricia Dowsett, the book includes an overview of Ian Reid’s professional activities, extending from linguistics and literacy to curriculum development, literary criticism and creative writing. It provides insights into his approaches to education policy, theory and practice, serving as a foundational text for understanding the nature and extent of his influence and highlighting particularly his ongoing relevance to contemporary English education.

This book provides an appraisal and curated selection of Reid’s remarkable body of work, which has made a profound and lasting impact on a range of fields, establishing him as an international leader in English teaching, literary studies and curriculum reform in schools and universities. It comprises twenty of his key papers written over a span of some forty-five years and structured around the influential concept of ‘framing’, with an Afterword written exclusively for this publication. Background notes indicating contexts of Reid’s work situate each item within the preoccupations of its period, and indicate how it continues to be pertinent. Practical questions posed at the end of every chapter capture the interconnections between theory and practice over the years.

An essential read for academics and students of curriculum studies, education policy as well as English language teaching, this book makes a significant contribution to the historical understanding of this expansive field and offers a valuable resource for reimagining current practices in curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. It will appeal to readers with varying levels of familiarity and interest in the subject.