A Treasury of Great Poems

by Louis Untermeyer and Louis Untermever

Book Overview

Nearly 1,000 poems with commentary on the lives and works of poets dating from the 10th century to the present. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0883657961
• ISBN13: 9780883657966
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: BBS Publishing Corporation
• Length: 1286 Pages
• Weight: 3.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.6" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

One of the best anthologies of English poetry

The selections anthology are slightly more extensive than in most. But what makes this anthology especially useful is the brief introductory essays before each poetic selection and the interpretations given of each poem. Here is an example of Untermeyer's writing , this one from a poet who he was especially close to Robert Frost. " A poem " wrote Frost in a foreward to his COLLECTED POEMS " begins in delight and ends in Wisdom" . The figure is the same as for love." Later considering the quality of surprise in poetry, he added :"For me the initial delight is in the surprise of remembering something I didn't know I knew." The sentence may well explain Frost's hold upon his readers.They have not only learned something new: they have recalled , with a new significance something old.They have remembered something they had forgotten they knew - and loved." This is an anthology both rich in great poetry and in insightful commentary upon it.

A wonderful addition to any library!

This hefty book (almost 1300 pages!) makes a wonderful addition to any library. In a surprisingly short space, author Louis Untermeyer covers the history of English-language poetry, starting with the Bible and ancient Anglo-Saxon verse, and then beginning with John Barbour (c.1316-95) he proceeds chronologically, author-by-author through to Richard Wilbur (b.1921). Each poet is briefly introduced, as is each poem.As might be expected, to cover so immense a topic in one volume requires a great deal of pruning, so a great deal of what could have been included wasn't. But, that said, this is a great book, one that has filled many of my evenings with wonderful and yet informative reading. I consider the purchase of this book money well spent, and I highly recommend it to you!