The Poetry of Emily Dickinson: Gilded Pocket Edition

by Emily Dickinson

This elegant hardback edition presents Emily Dickinson's best loved work, featuring a silver-embossed cover design, gilded page edges and beautiful patterned endpapers.

A deeply personal collection of poetry, the raw emotion and mastery of Emily Dickinson's poems cannot be denied. Her unique style, with its short lines, unusual punctuation and succinct nature, is quite unlike anything else.

This collection of over 250 poems feature a range of subject matters, from love and death to beauty, isolation and the nature of time. There is something for everyone in this selection of poetry from one of America's most accomplished writers.


• 'Hope is the thing with feathers'
• 'Because I could not stop for Death'
• 'Success is counted sweetest'
• 'Wild Nights - Wild Nights!'

This elegant pocket-sized gift edition is presented with a silver embossed cover design , beautifully designed endpapers and gilded page edges. Part of the Arcturus Ornate Classics series, this book makes wonderful gift for any poetry lover.

ABOUT THE Arcturus Ornate Classics are beautifully bound editions of iconic literary works across history. These compact, foil-embossed hardbacks are printed using deluxe ivory paper and make the perfect gift.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 31, 2023

About the author

Emily Dickinson was an American poet who, despite the fact that less than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime, is widely considered one of the most original and influential poets of the 19th century.

Dickinson was born to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. After she studied at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she spent a short time at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's house in Amherst. Thought of as an eccentric by the locals, she became known for her penchant for white clothing and her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even leave her room. Most of her friendships were therefore carried out by correspondence.

Although Dickinson was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime.The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation.Many of her poems deal with themes of death and immortality, two recurring topics in letters to her friends.

Although most of her acquaintances were probably aware of Dickinson's writing, it was not until after her death in 1886—when Lavinia, Emily's younger sister, discovered her cache of poems—that the breadth of Dickinson's work became apparent. Her first collection of poetry was published in 1890 by personal acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, both of whom heavily edited the content.

A complete and mostly unaltered collection of her poetry became available for the first time in 1955 when The Poems of Emily Dickinson was published by scholar Thomas H. Johnson. Despite unfavorable reviews and skepticism of her literary prowess during the late 19th and early 20th century, critics now consider Dickinson to be a major American poet.

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Reviews

[木漏れ日 · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful collection. Though Dickinson's delicate genius is absent from not a few of these little poems, the moments where her verse truly shines are intoxicating. Many poems, composed of only a handful of lines, are perfect as pearls, or sparkling as unconstellated stars. Though blessed with a wit and wisdom as surprising as it is consistent, on the whole this collection rings with the gentle knoll of innocence. Despite the proliferation of somber verses, her writing is threaded with a childlike wonder—a joy in beauty, a curiosity in love, a hope in sorrow. Very refreshing.

~~~

Grief is a Mouse—
And chooses Wainscot in the Breast
For His Shy House—
And baffles quest—

~~~

The Poets light but Lamps—
Themselves—go out—
The Wicks they stimulate—
If vital Light

Inhere as do the Suns—
Each Age a Lens
Disseminating their
Circumference—

~~~

Not knowing when the Dawn will come,
I open every Door,
Or has it feathers, like a Bird,
Or Billows, like a Shore—

~~~

Beaty crowds me till I die
Beauty mercy have on me
But if I expire today
Let it be in sight of thee—

[Pheebs :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've read every poem by now but idk I just pick a page and read.
Very lovely present from Mae!

[Aud · Rating 1 out of 5]

The tone and language choice was challenging for me to connect with.

[Chloe W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice poems, a little hard to get into because of the organization was almost non-existent (only breaks between poems - no titles, organization into categories such as nature, death, etc)
I would not recommend this edition unless you like the cover which is a legitimate reason to buy a book - that's why I originally picked it up! But the poetry was good :)

[Ali Acacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

its so cool how words and thoughts and feelings translate through hundreds of years into the same relatable girly things we experience now

[Sydnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Modern yet not modern yet definitely gay

[Jules Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolutely favorite poetress.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

English is not my first language, so that is the reason why i did not understand all the poems, despite that i really enjoy every poem, she wrote very cute, and i think my favorite poem is:
“To wait an Hour - is long-
If love be just beyond -
To wait Eternity - is short -
If Love reward the end -

[Kara Whicker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really beautiful copy of Emily Dickinson's poems but one that was really heavily edited. Most of the poems In here were changed from their original organization on the page (the number of lines and words to a line) and most if not all the punctuation was changed too. I'm a firm believer of reading Emily Dickinsons work as is, Though, I am guilty of re writing some of her poems in a way that makes more sense to me. (in my private journal and not for the public eye.) I really done think her work should be changed for public consumption.

Anyone who has read the barebones biography's of Emily Dickinson (the ones by her nieces and friends) would know that the reclusive poet would HATE her work being out there. I think she would have a aneurysm to know that not only are most of her poems free rein on the internet but they have been changed from their original form.

Though I don't know what I was expecting from a book my mom bought at a mormon book store. I wasn't surprised to find most of the pronouns in her work were changed too. To the people of the LDS Emily Dickinson was firmly a straight virgin. I wonder what we would know about her if the Mormon church was worried more about the truth than making sure people are respectable.

anyway, while I did like the orientation of some of the poems the book changed I would enjoy reading them in their original organization more and be able to change the poem my self on the same page. but that's just my opinion and how I choose to enjoy Dickinson's work.

[Aa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first time reading a collection of poetry, so I don’t have much to compare it to. I did enjoy it, however. Dickinson’s writing is beautiful and uses motifs, such as flowers, wind, birds, and sunsets. This does not take away from the depth or seriousness of her writing, though: it only enhances her ability to write something that makes one feel. In this collection, there were a number of poems I could connect to, a number of poems I could appreciate, and only a few poems I felt were bland or incomprehensible (I tried my best to decipher most of them, and poetry is about mystery and underlying meanings, yes, but, no matter how hard I tried, I still could not grasp some of them…). Here are my favorites:

Dreams are the subtle Dower — 159
He ate and drank the precious Words — 170
“Hope” is a thing with feathers 60
Much madness is divinest sense 99
No ladder needs the bird but skies 171
The Hollows round His eager Eyes 140
They shut me up in Prose — 78
We grow accustomed to the Dark — 75

This edition’s cover art is also deserving of praise.

4.25 Stars

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Dickinson is one of my favorite poets. I have loved her since I was a child. This is a beautiful book and a nice collection of her work. I like how it is varied enough in the selections to give a true look and feel of what her writings are like. Not just one type or favored topic, but several.

[Barbora Grič · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all...

There is amazing tv series on Apple TV "Dickinson" about this talented yet sad poet, who lived in bad era where she can not achieve what she was born to and can no be with only person she wanted to.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I had no clue what my girl was saying but when I did it spoke to me in a way that transcends my own perception of language. She has such a complex understanding of what it means to live and die in this world.

[romeo. · Rating 3 out of 5]

unfortunately, i found this collection lacking a punch. it was rather forgettable, but decent to read. there were a few pretty lines, but nothing more.

[S. Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

emily's poetry is -- of course -- a full 5 stars. only giving this collection 4/5 because of the internal arrangement and limited selection.

[Ellee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh to be gay and depressed in the 1800’s! Sobbed. Annotated every page. Buying more of her work immediately. Wow

[Holly Louise 🧚🏻‍♀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this little poetry book. I haven’t read them all but Emily Dickinson is one of my favourite poets. I like bringing it with me when I go out and about.

[Marta Linares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó exceptuando que a veces los poemas no tenían sentido cuando se traducían al español. :(

[TheButterWench · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely poems. Wish there were titles or they were organized by theme. Impossible to find a particular poem you are looking for. Pretty hardcover though.

[Sophie Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am huge fan of poetry. I had watched the “Dickinson” show on Apple TV and realized that I was not actually very familiar with Dickinson’s poetry. When I saw this collection at the bookstore, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to expose myself to her work.

I absolutely loved this collection. The short, succinct, but striking poems all were lovely to read. Dickinson’s work has such a wide range of messages, so there is something for everyone. Her imagery and metaphors create a beautiful impact on the reader.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed most of these poems and it is clear to me why she is one of America’s most beloved poets. I will be posting some of my favorites in this post as well as standalones so everyone can read what I loved!