Good Intentions

by Ogden Nash

Verses and writings of the famous Ogden Nash, many of which have appeared much earlier in The New Yorker, Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal and others.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Humor

180 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

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

[Julian Worker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of witty verses from the late 1930s and early 1940s that made me chuckle, not necessarily because they're funny but because they're extremely clever. Perhaps cleverness lasts longer than certain kinds of humour?

The subjects of these verses range from sniffles to grackles, from fireflies to the humble parsnip

The parsnip, children, I repeat
Is simply an anemic beet
Some people call the parsnip edible
Myself, I find this claim incredible

[Calvin West · Rating 3 out of 5]

"God in His wisdom made the fly
And then He forgot to tell us why"

This book is full of classic Ogden Nash. He's always eager to complain about fate, or a carpool ride arriving late. He also really loves to quip about family struggles and vacation trips. A very fun book to have in your stash.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, whimsical yet serious subject matter all included. Hard to put down and I'm not really a big fan of poetry! This makes me wanna go look for more of his work it was so good!! I loved it!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sheer delightful nonsense. Equal-opportunity satirist Ogden Nash pokes fun at himself, human nature, society, celebrities, the natural world, etc. Mostly comedic verse - my favourite is probably 'Here's to You, Little Boy Blue' on the topic of sleep. A couple of more serious poems. 'Heil, Heilige Nacht!' is deeply moving and the last stanza gives me chills:

"Gentlemen of the High Command,
Who crucify the slums,
There was an earlier Golgotha.
The third day comes."

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny!

[Karen Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever use of words and rhymes to make serious or humorous points. Especially like his poems about husbands and wives. But then, I like almost all his poetry. The titles are as good as the poems.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidently discovered Ogden Nash by picking this book up at a thrift store. These poems are absurdly funny

[Amunet Zilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining light read that is witty and funny

[Milt · Rating 4 out of 5]

read with, and they worked.

[C. John Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pleasant book to sit down and while away some time with. Although not a fan of poetry I do enjoy the work of Mr. Nash. His poems can be quite charming. and he has a love of word play which can sometimes leave you shaking your head. One thing I noticed was that he has a character, by the name of Dr. Fell, who pops up from time to time. It seems that in this Dr. Fell he is putting all the faults he sees in other people for the purpose of slinging humourous barbs at them. One note, there is only one poem to page, though some poems do take up more than a page. Thus when one poem ends, even if it is only two lines, the next poem begins on the next page. This means the book reads a bit faster than one expects at the beginning. Still if you are a fan of poetry then this book is a good one to add to your library.

[MisterFweem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got an introduction to Ogden Nash thanks to one of those elementary school readers that are chock full of old stuff. It was in the third grade that I first met Nash's indomitable Isabel, who wasn't scared of the witch or the bear. I was hooked.

Still am. I love his wild approaches to rhyme and the lengths he'll go to get one.

Update: Re-read in 2017. I'm struck by this read-through by how much Nash departed from his light verse to comment on World War II. Some of his war poems were pretty light, admittedly, but there are a few that are pretty off the track for Nash. Well worth the read for any World War II buff.

[Kaitlin Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may be older, but it is endearing and funny and is just nice to have a rest with.

[Sophie Nadler · Rating 5 out of 5]

classic nash. the adult dr. seuss reads great as always, my friends.

[Dorothy]

Armed Services Edition (ASE) book