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A Treasury of Poems: A Collection of the World's Most Famous and Familiar Verse
More than 400 great poets in one value-priced volume.
With nearly 440 poems by such greats as Plato, Shakespeare, Bryon, Keats, Christina Rossetti, Wilde, Dickinson, Emily Bronte, Sandburg, and more, this invaluable compendium captures the full breadth of human experience and emotions. The well-loved verses that fill these pages cover such universal topics as Aging, Beauty, Bereavement, Brotherhood, Celebration, Courage, Greed, Faith, Farewells, Friendship, Fun, and of course, Love. Here are such favorites as Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men,” with its haunting verbal images, captures the emptiness of disillusionment, while Alexander Pope’s “Epigram” (“You beat your pate, and fancy wit will / Knock as you please, there’s nobody at home”) offers pure, wry amusement. Everyone who appreciates the power of words to reaffirm the soul and express the deepest and most intimate of feelings will treasure these masterpieces.
With nearly 440 poems by such greats as Plato, Shakespeare, Bryon, Keats, Christina Rossetti, Wilde, Dickinson, Emily Bronte, Sandburg, and more, this invaluable compendium captures the full breadth of human experience and emotions. The well-loved verses that fill these pages cover such universal topics as Aging, Beauty, Bereavement, Brotherhood, Celebration, Courage, Greed, Faith, Farewells, Friendship, Fun, and of course, Love. Here are such favorites as Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men,” with its haunting verbal images, captures the emptiness of disillusionment, while Alexander Pope’s “Epigram” (“You beat your pate, and fancy wit will / Knock as you please, there’s nobody at home”) offers pure, wry amusement. Everyone who appreciates the power of words to reaffirm the soul and express the deepest and most intimate of feelings will treasure these masterpieces.
768 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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298 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 11, 2017
As one unfamiliar with poetry this book was a fantastic intro. I was able to meander through and find some I loved, some I didn't and a pile in between. It was a perfect survey of a genre and form I am deeply interested in.
August 22, 2012
I love poems and I love this book.
A wise old owl lived in an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he head:
Why can't we all be like that bird?
- Author Unknown
My favorite poem funny and true ....
A wise old owl lived in an oak;
The more he saw the less he spoke;
The less he spoke the more he head:
Why can't we all be like that bird?
- Author Unknown
My favorite poem funny and true ....
June 6, 2015
At first I thought this collection had a better range of poems, but in the end, many I have seen or read elsewhere. I would like to see a collection with more of a world culture outreach. American and English poets does not a "collection of famous/familiar verse" make.
August 18, 2025
Five stars, you ask? Did she finally find a poetry anthology that merits a rating of such high standards?
Well, perhaps it is a questionable rating (you be the judge). I have grown fond of this through long journeying alongside it. Pressed between its pages are elements of a time of great upheaval and change, the dying of dreams and upspringing of new hopes. The poetry featured within presents a collective picture of the spectrum of human emotion and experience, however brief the meeting, however shallow or deep the range, which I found to be reflective of my own state of being. It has been a companionable volume.
This treasury is, however, a hefty tome which could have benefited from onion-skin pages; the hardback is nearly three inches thick, due to the large text and generous margins as well as the weight of the paper. Being a bit unwieldy is really its only drawback. Although I'm in a season of life during which a slim volume would have been preferable, it nonetheless has been lugged from place to place for well over a year (a testament to the determination to find an anthology I can love, plump or otherwise). I wouldn't classify it as perfect, but rather as a general success.
Being an impulse purchase at a library book sale (hardly to be passed by at the price of a dollar), it exceeded my expectations and provided hours of contemplative enjoyment with its abundance of lovely verse. It is one of the better anthologies that has done time in my book stack. Featuring a wide array of poets, subjects, and time periods, there's something for everyone here (except, perhaps, the very young, but that depends on your preferences in poetry for your littles. Certainly not compiled with small children in mind, there are still verses here which could be enjoyed with them if desired). Indeed, I read many of these aloud to my offspring of various ages.
If you happen across a copy of this in your book-hunting excursions (particularly if it's a good bargain), you may be pleased to acquire it and add it to the stack of books next to your chair. 📚 Happy reading!
Note:
-Occasional language in some of the poems, including irreverent use of the Lord's name.
-Some adult themes in the 'Love' section and elsewhere (mild but perhaps not child-appropriate).
-Some angsty verses with unhealthy philosophy and/or questionable theology.
Well, perhaps it is a questionable rating (you be the judge). I have grown fond of this through long journeying alongside it. Pressed between its pages are elements of a time of great upheaval and change, the dying of dreams and upspringing of new hopes. The poetry featured within presents a collective picture of the spectrum of human emotion and experience, however brief the meeting, however shallow or deep the range, which I found to be reflective of my own state of being. It has been a companionable volume.
This treasury is, however, a hefty tome which could have benefited from onion-skin pages; the hardback is nearly three inches thick, due to the large text and generous margins as well as the weight of the paper. Being a bit unwieldy is really its only drawback. Although I'm in a season of life during which a slim volume would have been preferable, it nonetheless has been lugged from place to place for well over a year (a testament to the determination to find an anthology I can love, plump or otherwise). I wouldn't classify it as perfect, but rather as a general success.
Being an impulse purchase at a library book sale (hardly to be passed by at the price of a dollar), it exceeded my expectations and provided hours of contemplative enjoyment with its abundance of lovely verse. It is one of the better anthologies that has done time in my book stack. Featuring a wide array of poets, subjects, and time periods, there's something for everyone here (except, perhaps, the very young, but that depends on your preferences in poetry for your littles. Certainly not compiled with small children in mind, there are still verses here which could be enjoyed with them if desired). Indeed, I read many of these aloud to my offspring of various ages.
If you happen across a copy of this in your book-hunting excursions (particularly if it's a good bargain), you may be pleased to acquire it and add it to the stack of books next to your chair. 📚 Happy reading!
Note:
-Occasional language in some of the poems, including irreverent use of the Lord's name.
-Some adult themes in the 'Love' section and elsewhere (mild but perhaps not child-appropriate).
-Some angsty verses with unhealthy philosophy and/or questionable theology.
January 10, 2019
It's an all encompassing book on poems, what else is there to say. It's an anthology of British or American poets and their most loved or famous poem/s. It's a great introduction to people who might want to get into poetry but have no idea where to start. It introduces different styles and topics, all of which help a reader get an idea of what type and/or style of poetry they like. It's a hunker of a book and certainly not something you can finish quickly. I got introduced to a couple of new poets and poems, and that made it worthwhile.
November 8, 2024
I have had this anthology for many years and pulled it off the shelf when I was in need of poetical inspiration. This time instead of thumbing through the pages for some of my favorites, I vowed to read it from cover to cover. It was a fabulous experience. Stuart arranged the works according to topics such as aging, beauty, bereavement, betrayal, brotherhood and so on with universal themes from varying eras, sensibilities, and locations from around the world. It remains an excellent reference book of poetry, but it is also readable as a "poetry novel." I credit poetry as my entryway in my sixth grade language arts class for starting me on my lifelong love of words, rhyme, and language structure. My teacher, Mrs. Joan Wohl, taught me that language is multi-dimensional and that reading for enjoyment is as important as reading for information. Through poetry she showed me the beauty of language. If you are looking for commentary, this is not the book for you. Stuart presents the poetry as a means to itself. I found it refreshing.
February 24, 2019
This collection is what I'd call "Solid Gold Oldies." While what is here is very good, there's nothing here you haven't read before and can easily find elsewhere. The collection itself didn't feel particularly inspired to me; just some famous, nice poems compiled together. It doesn't flow especially well, so I'd use it more for reference than to actually sit down and read cover to cover.
May 27, 2017
An uneven collection ... there are some real treasures by such as John Donne, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman ... but there are also some old chestnuts by Edgar A. Guest and "Author Unknown" that detract from the overall quality of the volume ...
December 26, 2017
Bought this book at a fantastic sale price at B&N in July. Started reading a few poems each and every week. This book has over 4000 poems and is nicely divided into sections from Ageing to Zeal. Wonderful collection. Finished the book today, 26 Dec. 2017.
September 23, 2017
Only covers English poetry, with a few Americans, so it is a good collection, but limited. I enjoyed this book less toward the end. The first 2/3 or so is excellent.
December 5, 2024
Needed a good palate cleanser after all the trash I’ve recently read 👌🏻
December 25, 2015
I truly enjoyed this collection of poems. It taught me a lot and gave me a grasp for poetry that allowed me to develop a better sense of understanding poems. I found a lot of new favorite poems while reading this collection, and it's definitely worth it to read it and have it on your book shelf. It's something you can come back and read snippets from time and time again. The reason I give it 4 stars is because I really do wish that it would have included more diverse poets other than those from Europe and America. I would have loved to read poems from more poets from all around the world. Also, there were some classic poems in here that have been widely acclaimed, but they're really not that good. There were about 20 poems in here that I had to skip through because they were so boring. Still worth it to pick up and have on your bookshelf, though!
May 6, 2016
Contains a great number of poems, and I love that it included a great many of my favorites. Also, the price was right since I got it from the Bargain Shelf.
There are one or two things that bother me about it though. The main one is the typos. I don't know what happened, but some of the poems have mistakes in them, and spelling mistakes for such famous poems are hard to forgive. Thus, I give it one less star than it would usually get.
Other than that, it is pretty good. It is organized by theme. After that, I don't really know. I mean, it doesn't seem to be related to the poet's last name, or to the title of the poem, but I wasn't really paying attention.
Final thoughts: as long as it contains Invictus, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and a few others, I am happy enough to forget flaws.
There are one or two things that bother me about it though. The main one is the typos. I don't know what happened, but some of the poems have mistakes in them, and spelling mistakes for such famous poems are hard to forgive. Thus, I give it one less star than it would usually get.
Other than that, it is pretty good. It is organized by theme. After that, I don't really know. I mean, it doesn't seem to be related to the poet's last name, or to the title of the poem, but I wasn't really paying attention.
Final thoughts: as long as it contains Invictus, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and a few others, I am happy enough to forget flaws.
March 12, 2013
A wonderful collection of poems to keep by your bedside. I found all of my old favorites and many more I had never read.
June 12, 2013
A wonderful collection! I recommend it to be a part of everyone's library!
July 5, 2013
This book is an amazing collection of poems! It includes most of my favourite poems and poets. I also read some beautiful poems that I've never read before!
~ 5 stars :D
~ 5 stars :D
April 4, 2016
A beautiful anthology of some of the best loved verse, from Tennyson to Wordsworth and Dickinson to Edna St. Vincent Mallay.
May 19, 2015
Something is here, in my heart. I don't know what is that. But I always feel it. Feel it specially when I read this book. The verses, make me feel that something is here, in my heart. :)
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March 13, 2015It has almost all my clasic avorite poems!
May 15, 2016
Didn't like all the poems but there were many that I did and they are all marked for future reference.
October 15, 2016
I think this is the perfect start to the poetry world if you're a noob like me.
I found a lot of poems that I like thanks to this book!
I found a lot of poems that I like thanks to this book!
September 1, 2014
I loved the poems. categorized and neatly packed. I loved a lot of the poems in it.
April 24, 2017
These are the cozy favorites you will read often. I finally put that I finished the book but it stays by my chair for "rereading".
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews