A Concise Treasury of Great Poems

by Louis Untermeyer

Here is a rich panorama of verse from the golden dawn of English poetry to the great American poets of the 20th century. You will find Chaucer, the storyteller, the sonnets of Shakespeare, the glowing beauty of Keats and Shelley, the complete "Rubaiyat," "The Rime of Ancient Mariner," the homespun strength of Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost, the bitter but precise phrases of T.S. Elliot, the fiery imagery of Dylan Thomas.

This anthology is more than a rich and abundant selection of verse. It is a unique guide to the whole development of poet in the English language. Interwoven throughout the book are hundreds of exciting stories of the lives and times of the poets, and revealing interpretations of their imperishable works.

More from the front cover: "English and American - 437 poems by 121 poets

Genres: Poetry

557 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1960

About the author

Louis Untermeyer was the author, editor or compiler, and translator of more than one hundred books for readers of all ages. He will be best remembered as the prolific anthologist whose collections have introduced students to contemporary American poetry since 1919. The son of an established New York jeweler, Untermeyer's interest in poetry led to friendships with poets from three generations, including many of the century's major writers. His tastes were eclectic. Martin Weil related in the Washington Post that Untermeyer once "described himself as 'a bone collector' with 'the mind of a magpie.'" He was a liberal who did much to allay the Victorian myth that poetry is a high-brow art. "What most of us don't realize is that everyone loves poetry," he was quoted by Weil as saying, pointing out the rhymes on the once-ubiquitous Burma Shave road signs as an example.

Untermeyer developed his taste for literature while still a child. His mother had read aloud to him from a variety of sources, including the epic poems "Paul Revere's Ride" and "Hiawatha." Bedtime stories he told to his brother Martin combined elements from every story he could remember, he revealed in Bygones: The Recollections of Louis Untermeyer. When he learned to read for himself, he was particularly impressed by books such as Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King and Dante's Inferno. Gustave Dore's illustrations in these books captivated him and encouraged his imagination toward fantasy. Almost fifty years later, Untermeyer published several volumes of retold French fairy tales, all illustrated by the famous French artist.

In addition to children's books and anthologies, Untermeyer published collections of his own poetry. He began to compose light verse and parodies during his teen years after dropping out of school to join his father's business. With financial help from his father, he published First Love in 1911. Sentiments of social protest expressed in the 1914 volume Challenge received disapproval from anti-communist groups forty years later; as a result of suspicion, Untermeyer lost his seat on the "What's My Line" game show panel to publisher Bennett Cerf. During the 1970s, he found himself "instinctively, if incongruously, allied with the protesting young," he wrote in the New York Times. In the same article he encouraged the spirit of experiment that characterized the decade, saying, "it is the non-conformers, the innovators in art, science, technology, and human relations who, misunderstood and ridiculed in their own times, have shaped our world." Untermeyer, who did not promote any particular ideology, remained a popular speaker and lecturer, sharing criticism of poetry and anecdotes about famous poets with audiences in the United States and as far away as India and Japan.

Untermeyer resigned from the jewelry business in 1923 in order to give all his attention to literary pursuits. Friendships with Robert Frost, Ezra Pound, Arthur Miller, and other literary figures provided him with material for books. For example, The Letters of Robert Frost to Louis Untermeyer contains letters selected from almost fifty years of correspondence with the New England poet. The anthologist's autobiographies From Another World and Bygones relate as much about other writers as they do about his personal life. Bygones provides his reflections on the four women who were his wives. Jean Starr moved to Vienna with Untermeyer after he became a full-time writer; Virginia Moore was his wife for about a year; Esther Antin, a lawyer he met in Toledo, Ohio, married him in 1933; fifteen years later, he married Bryna Ivens, with whom he edited a dozen books for children.

In his later years, Untermeyer, like Frost, had a deep appreciation for country life. He once told Contemporary Authors: "I live on an abandoned farm in Connecticut ... ever since I found my native New York unlivable as well as unlovable.... On these green and sometimes arctic acres I cultivate wha

Reviews

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another rescued book. I do love poetry and this will also be a gold mine of trivia. Good stuff ... My 1972 paperback edition has a different cover. Inside the front cover is a sticker of an eagle flying over mountains. Printed underneath: Gloria Barron - Black Forest, Colorado(never heard of it! - and I lived in Colorado for 17 years).

Now ... because I posted the miscellaneous notes above, a guy wants me to send him the book when I'm done. Ms. Barron turns out to be mother of a friend of his - cool!

Getting near to "modern"poets and poetry, which is nice, because - O! - I'm getting tired of the old-timey language usage conventions. Swinburne next - a transitional poet. Whitman was as well, Dickinson most of all.

Finished last night, but I still have trivia questions to write. Poetry = a realm of literature in which personal taste means everything. I do love poetry, but definitely not ALL of it. I could do without seeing the word "O' in a poem ever again. Especially in a poem written after 1900!

[Bfisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An English teacher gave me a paperback copy of this when I was 15. I basically wore it to fragments over the following 5 years. It was a good anthology in terms of the poetry it included, although it didn't have some poems that I later came to know and love. What made it exceptional were the short introductory essays. Because of this book, I read poetry that I otherwise would never have read. There are many books that I have read multiple times. However, if I ever was marooned on a desert island with 1 book, this would be the book to have.

I am still waiting for this to be available as an ebook.

[Kim Landwehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one book I would never leave behind or sell. It the kind of book you keep on the shelf and pull and read. Love the poems in it, but also the information about the authors. If you like poetry and you see this book, get it, you will not be sorry

[Aditya / · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less than 20% of the poems are good, but this book is a beauty because it describes the lives of the authors eloquently, succinctly, and in context. Thereby putting the poems in context and giving a glimpse into the authors' lives.

[James Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been one of my favorite poetry collections for more than forty years. A book that I turn to again and again to revisit old favorite poems or to discover new ones. I cannot praise Louis Untermeyer highly enough for his ability to select the best poems and to succinctly introduce each poet. The breadth of this collection competes with its quality and encourages the reader to keep returning. It is an essential volume for any poetry lover but also for those who are not sure if poetry is worth reading. A small investment of time with this volume will answer that question with a resounding yes.

[Jan]

This book of poetry has English and American poets and is a good read so far.....This book includes poets, such as William Shakespeare and Sir Walter Raleigh as well as Richard Lovelace, William Blake, John Keats, William Wordsworth, Walt Whitman, Edgar Allan Poe and Rudyard Kipling and Carl Sandburg. It pretty much has them all....

[Tlingit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book to keep at home when one wants to read poetry. They're all old but they are classic in the sense that they're solid and something that most people would agree are great poems. I hate most poetry but there are some that really hit the emotional spot. Leave it in the bathroom. It'll give your friends some good conversation material.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an little old anthology that my mother had (and I stole), and in which I discovered many beautiful things. I give it 5 stars mostly for nostalgia's sake, because it's hardly comprehensive or anything, but it's a pretty decent little anthology.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

...Only my review applies to the non-concise edition, which I didn't see listed.

[Mell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rediscovered this book while dusting and sorting through books. Read this as a teen and just loved it- a pathway to reading other books of poetry. A good anthology.