I'm writing this review as a rejoinder to the one that complains about the size of the book, the paper quality etc. I'd like to point out that because of the way bibliographic databases are compiled these days, the reference to 320 pages is an error that the bookseller (amazon) should rectify - projected page lengths from publishers' original estimates are perpetuated by Neilsen Bookdata (who compile 'Books In Print') and this data is fed automatically to booksellers' databases and not rectified.
On to the content. Yes, this is the kind of book that is left on shop counters to attract interest and make the publisher, the author, the bookseller money. All professionally issued books are published to make money. Some of them are also published to enlighten and inform readers, something this book definitely does. I may be biased, as I know the author, but I can confirm that he knows his stuff and is probably the most widely-read and well-read person I've ever met (I've worked for 25 years in bookselling myself, so I feel equal to judging him).
The book is brief (we're talking quality not quantity of words here), but packed with facts, is accurrate and provides a great overview of classic novels at a cheaper price than any other book (which is why it is short- a longer book on the same subject would be more expensive), and with lots of authority. The introduction in particular is pleasantly terse and gently sardonic in its questioning of what a classic is and why we should (or shouldn't) respect it.
Yes, there are plenty of bad books on counters, but when it comes to the quality of the writing - in my view the most important thing - you can't go wrong here.