The Selected Verse of Ogden Nash

by Ogden Nash

The temptation to describe a book by Ogden Nash is his own light-verse style is quickly overcome by mere trial. The simple truth is that he is inimitable. He is funny and he is profound; he is clever and he is surprisingly penetrating; there are always both ryhme and reason in his sensible nonsense. For this Modern Library edition, Ogden Nash has made his selection of 165 of his most representative poems, each one a gem of humour and light-hearted wisdom.

Genres: Poetry

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

Frederic Ogden Nash was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry".

Reviews

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will delight in Ogden Nash; he is worth the time and worth the cash

I have a few of the rimes in other Ogden books. But I could not turn down "650 Rhymes, Verses, Lyrics, and Poems."
There is a nice short introduction by Archibald MacLeish worth reading then dive in till your fingers get pruney.
The book is divided into fifteen chapters as different subjects with the names of each item listed under each chapter.
I find myself reading from front to back.

Ogden taught me how English is supposed to work for you.

[Mary Kallus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ogden Nash is one of my favorite fun poets of all time! I love his short, quippy poems. You do have to be mindful of some of his poems' content. However, most of his works are just plain fun and appropriate for a reader at any age!

[Anahí · Rating 4 out of 5]

El sentido del humor de este tipo es genial.

(…)You open the door and you enter the studio,
And you feel less cheerio than nudio.
The hard light shines like seventy suns,
And you know that your features are foolish ones.
The photographer says, Natural, please,
And you cross your knees and uncross your knees.
Like a duke in a high society chronicle
The camera glares at you through its monocle
And you feel ashamed of your best attire,
Your nose itches, your palms perspire,
Your muscles stiffen, and all the while
You smile and smile and smile and smile.
It’s over; you weakly grope for the door;
It’s not; the photographer wants one more (…)

(…)Because seasoned amateur performance attenders generally weigh their applause carefully so as
not to be either a spendthrift or a hoarder,
Because unless the performers of any performance are your grandmother or your favorite cousin
or something your aim is to applaud just enough to not hurt their feelings and not enough to
induce them to duplicate the order,
And some girl who once handed you a cup of cocoa at a church supper appears and renders an
imitation of Fanny Brice imitating Gertrude Lawrence,
And your applause preserves the delicate balance between ecstasy and abhorrence (…)

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

For sheer delight, I urge you to dip into this collection of light verse by a master of the genre. Whatever your mood you'll come out with a smile or several. Sometimes he's enviably brief:
"Candy is dandy/ but liquor is quicker." Other poems rely more on narrative, as the saga in The Private Dining Room collection, relating a champagne luncheon shared by Miss Cavenish, Miss Rafferty and guests who progressively get tipsier and tipsier. Nash's humour is never arbitrary and governed always by an immaculate syntax. Enjoy!

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something extremely comforting to me about Ogden Nash's rolling rhymes and comic set-ups. From his short poems (his most famous might be "Reflections on Ice-Breaking": Candy / Is dandy / But liquor / Is quicker), to his longer poems with their changing rhythms and words made up to suit the rhymes, Nash's work begs to be read out loud and revisited whenever a person starts taking herself too seriously.

[Jimilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poetry of Ogden Nash is still fresh, bright, witty, and very easy to relate to. His playfulness with words and what he has to say about the whims, foibles, and the good about people has always brought at least a smile to my lips if not outright laughter. I'm glad I took the past few days to reconnect with one of my favorite poets.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I book of poems that are as true today as they were written in early 1930's. His poems are full of wisdom and rhyme, both in well written dry humored style.

Worth reading.
A lost secret gem of a book if you have not read it.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Nash
Is a bash.
If you're logged in,
Look up Ogden.

[James Violand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light simple verse with humor. Enjoyable, not substantial. If you want amusement, read Nash.