“Cricket Fighting,” an essay by Hugh Raffles, associate professor of anthropology at The New School for Social Research, has been chosen for inclusion in this year’s edition of The Best American Essays. The piece, taken from his forthcoming book, The Illustrated Insectopedia, appeared in Granta 98, The Deep End (2007).

The Best American Essays, part of The Best American series, is published annually by Houghton Mifflin. The series’ continuing editor, Robert Atwan, makes an initial selection of notable works published in North America during the previous year. The guest editor—this year the New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik—chooses pieces from the initial selection for inclusion in the book.