The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg: Revised and Expanded Edition

by Carl Sandburg

Book Overview

The definitive edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning collection. "A marvelous prosody, a perfect ear for the beautiful potentials of common speech, something he learned from folk song, but mostly he... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151207739
• Release Date: October 1970
• Publisher: Harcourt, Brace and Co.
• Length: 832 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 2.5" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Good stuff

I read some stuff by Carl Sandburg when I was in high school, but now that I am considering writing as more of an art form I wanted to delve more into poetry, and this book is definately a great collection of one of America's greatest poets

Beautiful and strange observations of Americana

I am a big fan of Sandburg. This is the most complete collection of his works that I have seen. His poetry is so full of strength and hope. Nothing is too frilly but still very beautiful. His poetry always reminds me of the verbal equivalent of a piece of art by Norman Rockwell - true down to the dirt on the skin but so full of awe and respect for his subject. Have a wonderful time reading this collection!

Poetry Of A Fierce But Gentle Soul

Fifty years ago Carl Sandburg's poetry could be found in nearly every library, classroom and (in some form) home in America, but in the hurried twenty-first century, where too much bad poetry has spoiled whole living generations on the art, he is all-but lost to our social consciousness. This poet of freedom (even his poems disobey every respected rule of form) penned verses that celebrated the American spirit as no other writer had since Walt Whitman. If presented with a sampling of his most famous lines, the average American would probably light up and say, "Oh, yeah! Okay, I've heard that one." Reading the collected works of this Midwesterner is full of such moments of re-discovery. All of Sandburg's published books are here, putting his many hundreds of poems on display. His finest work, the controversial, slow-moving, stream of consciousness piece "The People, Yes" alone makes this anthology a gift to modern readers, but many other unexpected gems await to delight, challenge, inform, or taunt with sheer irony. Though some of these poems date back nearly a century, at no time does Sandburg ever sound anything but cutting-edge and post-modern. He is one of the greats for all ages of man.

Well-deserving of a Pulitzer Prize!

A magnificent collections by one of the most diverse and gifted minds in American literary history. As a high school English teacher, I often teach the "dark" Sandburg: "Killers," "Grass," "Iron," and other pessimistic works by Sandburg. This volume takes that pessimism and puts it into a much more realistic context, dealing with World War I, the Great Depression, and an era of American History to which few of us today can relate. Sandburg's poetry is virtually prose in sections, reading very fluidly. It is fascinating to watch his evolution as a writer and as a man throughout the poems he wrote. I rarely sit and just read poetry, but I recommend this volume to my students--and to anyone else reading/listening--for a couple of hours when a novel just doesn't seem right. Some of it is dark, depressing, and mildly disturbing, but he sheds a ray of light often enough to keep one reading. There's something in Sandburg's work for everyone!

Great compilation of great poetry

I started looking into Sandburg for a school project, but then i was hooked. I had to take this book from the library countless times, because i couldnt get enough of it. You are able to see many sides of Sandbug, and are able to get a hold of what his views are. Overall, it is on of the best books of poetry by any author. Those from the Midwest can really appreciate his descriptions of the region.