The late-career essay collection can serve multiple purposes, none of which are mutually exclusive: It is a point of introduction to a new readership, one that may know the writer’s name but may be intimidated by their output, or simply want an easy place to start; it gives longtime readers a chance to encounter things they may have missed, little jewels for the completionists among us; and it may attempt to burnish the legacy of a writer in their twilight years who aims for one more chance at