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This work would be a "Selections" or "Compendium" of works by an author, where I select passages, quotes, or otherwise an ordering of his works, wholesale, given in an order that presents their whole opus as one, linear project; a timeline of the development of their "one goal" of their writing?

Namely, the project would be rearranging "abridged"/selections (so, yes, "selections",) [but "compendium" is an intentionally used word (hence my capitalizing of 'selections' and 'compendium'),] where the rearrangement would present a cohesive, linear presentation, rather than the more broken-up style of the author-in-question.

So would the title "Chrestomathic Compendium" be appropriate for that kind of project?

(Research:) (Collin's Dictionary)

chrestomathy:

  1. a collection of literary passages, for use in studying a language
  2. a collection of passages or pieces from the writings of an author

H.L. Mencken's preface to his "A Mencken Chrestomathy" provides a good description of the word, and can serve as rationale for my "research", at least, if not also a good place for defining the term.

(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

compendium:

  1. a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of knowledge

And I feel "selections" is a broad enough term to be used as a general descriptor...

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  • 1
    Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.
    – Community Bot
    Jun 5 at 22:05
  • 3
    In addition to the problems already noted in the preceding paragraph, you should note that chrestomathy and its derivatives are used very rarely in the present-day English; the use of that term, even if otherwise apt (which is not obvious in this case), will be perceived as, at best, quaint, and, at worst, pretentious.
    – jsw29
    Jun 5 at 22:48
  • Your work sounds like an “anthology”, perhaps containing “abridged” selections, though I’m not entirely sure about what you’re looking for.
    – MarcInManhattan
    Jun 5 at 23:29
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    I like it. It's alliterative. I recently assembled a bunch of lab tests to take to a new doctor. I had to download the results from two different patient portals. I called it a compendium when I handed it over. / I voted to close your question because you didn't include a definition of the term "compendium" and you didn't explain why you're unsure if you're using it correctly. If you show your research, you can ask if it's correctly used -- but you can't ask for opinions as to whether it's a good title.
    – aparente001
    Jun 6 at 4:40
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    The Essence of X. X: The Essential Writings. I think it sounds interesting—how his thought develops over time. Chrestomathic has several meanings, including texts for learning English. Not useful in a title,
    – Xanne
    Jun 6 at 4:42

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