Treasury of Great Poems: An Inspiring Collection of the Best-Loved, Most Moving Verse in the English Language

by Louis Untermeyer (Editor)

Nearly 1,000 poems with commentary on the lives and works of poets dating from the 10th century to the present

Genres: Poetry, Literature, Anthologies, Fiction, Classics

1344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

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

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of the 6 audio cassettes, not the abridged CD or the huge book. I really should include this in my goodreads shelves considering its place in my life, and the longevity of that place. One summer home from college I decided I wanted to get into poetry, which seemed forbidding at the time, and so I borrowed this from the library. I’d wake up at 5:00 AM (I’d also decided to get into bird watching) and listen to these poems while drinking coffee. 30 years later I’m still listening.

I snapped up an ex-library copy from Amazon when I sensed they were disappearing off the face of the earth. Lucky I did, because it’s out of stock now and before that I saw only one for sale from the UK for 1000 pounds. (I’ll never understand these pricings). I bet all the libraries threw them away without thinking.

Alexander Scourby, however, almost makes it worth the price of admission. Nancy Wickwire is pretty pedestrian and stilted, but she only reads a few poems. Bramwell Fletcher has a certain charm, but again, it's Scourby who has not only the best voice but is the most intelligent reader. You get the sense he studied each poem, no matter how slight, before his readings. I don’t even care about hearing an American accent for the British poems.

I've already digitized the tapes before they get too warped and will someday put them on youtube. The only bad thing is, due to a manufacturer's error, several copies do not contain cassette #1. I had to purchase the item again for that one tape. Yes I’m crazy about this collection.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I actually just purchased it this week and only just started reading it, I marked it as “read” because I already know it’s the book I’ve been wanting for so long.
I enjoy poetry but I’m unfamiliar with the poets behind the classic poems. Reading a short bio before I read the poem is so helpful. Understanding the background, the setting, etc makes me appreciate and helps me understand each poem.

[sekar banjaran aji · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really good at timeline history of poets. Untermeyer is good editor because he make it so structural in modest way. If you want to learn the background of poetry legend: this is your book!

[MARISA LYTLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection from a variety of great poets.

[Mrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly great poems with mini-bios of the poets.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since buying this book some 15 years ago I've referred to it again and again; not only for its collection of poetry (from bible passages to early and mid-twentieth century poets) but for the brief yet comprehensive biographical sketches of the artists too.

A few things that caught my attention -

Untermeyer, describing the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe:

"With few exceptions, Poe's most often quoted poems are his worst. The Raven is a declamation piece in which the serious idea is made ridiculous by cheap theatricalism, hypnotic rhythm, and a comic rhyme scheme. The Bells is a childish piling up of sounds, a wearisome echolalia..."

A rather blunt dismissal of what many to this day view as poetic classics.

No mention is made at all of poet/celebrity Sylvia Plath, (or Ted Hughes, for that matter), making the volume feel a bit incomplete (to me).

Still, I treasure this wide-ranging collection and the introduction to so many different word artists.

[E. Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember borrowing this book from the library when I was sixteen, and as soon as I had brought it home, I knew there was no way I could ever return it. Untermeyer's poetry selections are exemplary, and often veered away from the mundane and mainstream work most commonly identified with the poets within. But even more enchanting are his brief biographies of the various literary figures, and explanations of their relevance to both their own zeitgeist and to the generations that followed. This book, along with Auden's collected works, was my main poetry influence as a teenager, and to this very day, I still pull it out for reference and the sheer joy of reading Untermeyer's creative take on several centuries of poetry.

Oh, and for the record, I made a point of actually purchasing this collection from the library. So don't think I'm a thief!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many poems that didn’t make sense to me because it was hard to read and understand from the English poems but I think I learned a lot from all the poems I did understand. I learned that you must be patient but also, forceful. Also that trust is the easiest thing to lose but the hardest to gain. Many of these poems can relate to so many different kinds of messages in life. I think if you would like to better your poetry you should read this book. I would recommend this book to who ever likes interesting subjects.

pgs:1,228

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess this one stays on my "currently reading" shelf for good.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Untermeyer is the best anthologist for poetry, in my opinion.

[Mhoyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you are sappy and want to read something that will make you wonder why you were never read any of these poems, this id the book for you!

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great. Not sure if it was this edition.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a sucker for poetry anthologies and this is a great one!

[Alice Rackham · Rating 3 out of 5]

PSHEW.

I'll be honest: this was a haul to get through. It's very, very long and there is a lot of poetry. Some are great. Some are ...

Uh.