The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1918

by Arthur Quiller-Couch (Editor)

The Oxford Book of English Verse was first published in 1900 and it initiated the famous series of Oxford Books that has been running ever since. It quickly established itself as a classic anthology, equal to Palgrave's Golden Treasury in popularity and public recognition. Having sold half a million copies in 21 impressions, a second edition appeared in 1939, extending the book by a hundred pages and increasing the representation of the early part of the twentieth century. Concentrating for the most part on lyrical poetry, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch sought to range over the whole field of English verse from the thirteenth century to the close of the First World War. He established an arrangement of the poets by date of birth, using modernized spelling after the very earliest poems. He held firmly to the belief that old favourites deserved their place as much as new discoveries, and held himself at odds with those who sneer `at things long by catholic consent accounted beautiful'. In declaring the enduring nature of the English verse tradition, `Q' ensured that The Oxford Book of English Verse would itself endure and prosper.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Literature, Fiction, Anthologies, Poetry Plays, School

1166 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a Cornish writer, who published under the pen name of Q. He is primarily remembered for the monumental "Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1900" (later extended to 1918), and for his literary criticism. He guided the taste of many who never met him, including American writer Helene Hanff, author of 84 Charing Cross Road, its sequel, Q's Legacy, and the putatively fictional Horace Rumpole via John Mortimer, his literary amanuensis.

Reviews

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my last book to finish for The Literary Life Podcast 2021 reading challenge.

This is a chronological walk through English poetry and the effect of reading these poems by people long dead who had all the hopes and dreams and sorrows and cares as me was profound.

I think Q was brilliant to end on this poem which exactly defines my feelings on reading this volume.

Dominus Illuminatio Mea
By Richard Doddridge Blackmore

In the hour of death, after this life’s whim,
When the heart beats low, and the eyes grow dim,
And pain has exhausted every limb—
The lover of the Lord shall trust in Him.

When the will has forgotten the lifelong aim,
And the mind can only disgrace its fame,
And a man is uncertain of his own name—
The power of the Lord shall fill this frame.
When the last sigh is heaved, and the last tear shed,
And the coffin is waiting beside the bed,
And the widow and child forsake the dead—
The angel of the Lord shall lift this head.

For even the purest delight may pall,
And power must fail, and the pride must fall,
And the love of the dearest friends grow small—
But the glory of the Lord is all in all.

[Pamela Shropshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the most famous English-language poetry anthology of all time. I treasure it not only because of its contents - although I do, very dearly - but also because of the occasion and memories associated with the purchase of my copy.

I've been an Anglophile for nearly as long as I can remember and England has always been the one place I most wanted to visit. Finally, in 2017, my 51st year of life, my husband and I were able to spend 2 glorious weeks road-tripping across England, from the Lake District to York to Derbyshire to the Cotswold region to the South West coast and finally to London. We stayed in Richmond for the final 3 days of our trip in a charming Airbnb cottage very near Kew Gardens and Kew Station. We spent our last day at Kew Gardens - the weather was uncommonly hot, the hottest week of the entire summer, as it turns out, and its refreshingly green spaces were the most pleasant surroundings possible in the 32C heat.

As we left the Gardens, we saw a small sign advertising Lloyd's of Kew bookshop and decided to walk by on our way back to our cottage. What a fortunate happenstance! It is a small bookshop but absolutely packed from floor to ceiling with books of all ages and genres. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough available luggage space for all the books I wanted, but I knew that this book would be returning with me to America.

I keep it always near my reading chair in my library and often pick it up to read a poem or dozen from its pages. It's one of my favorite books among the 2000-odd volumes that I currently own and I have already begun to share it with my oldest grandchild who is seven years old. I look forward to enjoying it for many years to come.
**************
From Ulysses and the Siren by Samuel Daniel

...toil doth give a better touch/to make us feel our joy...

Tell me where is Fancy bred,/Or in the heart or in the head?/How begot, how nourishèd?/Reply, reply./It is engender'd in the eyes,/ With gazing fed; and Fancy dies/In the cradle where it lies./Let us all ring Fancy's knell;/I'll begin it, - Ding, dong, bell./Ding, dong, bell. - from The Merchant of Veniceby Wm. Shakespeare

[Annalise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea that this book which I have long kept for easy access on my bedside table was such a treasure. It's truly a beautiful collection.

[Michael Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book of British poetry. At 1141 pages it can seem daunting to read through, but I read a few pages each day over the last 20 months. There are many great poets in the anthology, and a few less great that tend to drag on through certain centuries.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of 'Rumpole of the Bailey,' this is the poetry anthology Rumpole cherishes. It is a wonderful collection of English verse. When this was published, the label "English verse" was often interpreted to include American poetry. Hence, American poets are included here. I have to admit, though, that I bought this to have easy access to Rumpole's favorite works by Tennyson, Wordsworth, and all the other British masters. It is a fun volume! I can open it to any page and find great poetry.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a nice copy of the 1939 edition of this collection. All of the poems are not to my taste, but that hardly matters - this is a monument as much as it is a book. And if I open it to a poem which doesn't move me, I can be sure that the next poem will. Here's an example of a wonderful poem I found in the Oxford anthology:

Finis - Walter Savage Landor

I strove with none, for none was worth my strife.
Nature I loved and, next to Nature, Art:
I warm'd both hands before the fire of life;
It sinks, and I am ready to depart.

Thank you, Q, for this monument to English poetry.

[Julie Mabus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phew, this feels like an accomplishment. Sometimes it was a slog but I’m glad to have been through a cannon of the best of English poetry throughout the ages. Think I’ll move onto the American collection next.

[Brian Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book in it's yellow(!) cover. The whole feel and set-up of the book - size, texture of paper, font used is a pleasure. Not all of the poems are such a delight, and the selection in Gardner's new version is better, but there is so much wonderful stuff in this book. In some sense it embodies English Poetry - it might be the one for that desert island. It's a sort of safe Teddy Bear kind of poetry book, comfort food, although not all of it by any means.

[Richard Van den broek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some of my all time favourite poems in. It is a brilliant book, well worth investing in, it has most of the good poems thus far created in it's pages. I spent last week reading it at the tops of mountains, it was amazing!
"Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge." William Wordsworth
"Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words." Edgar Allan Poe

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading this, slowly, with my children at the breakfast table. We are really enjoying re-reading some selections, and adding new poems every week.

[Kris Lundgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished reading this cover to cover. Months of pleasure, with many glorious surprises along the way.

[Tyler Horton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long, and not always enjoyable trip through the history of English poetry. Glad I made it through, but mostly because of the accomplishment of making it all the way through! As expected, there were many more poems toward the end that I liked than through the first 3/4 of the collection. Why must the English write so many poems about love?

There are other, newer, and updated editions of this which would probably be a safer bet. But my copy was on a free book table...so there you have it.

[Corona Radiata · Rating 5 out of 5]

A history indeed of England..

[Lari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good thing to have on your shelf and flick through when you feel like a poem. Not as good to read though the entire thing chronologically.

[Benjamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally regarded as the go-to for English poetry. Highly recommended for daily reading of the great English poets of the past.

[Michael Vawser]

Biblio.com US$18.88

[Crystal Gettman · Rating 5 out of 5]

the english language has transformed so much, but the sentiments written to describe love and other human experiences prove timeless in this collection

[Zanib · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of so much breath taking joy. Sadly, Ozimandias was not in here, but it's writer was, so that problem cancels out. Found many new poets and poetry that really gave me a new light to see from. I would recommend to those who like a slice of beautiful literature every now and a while (by no means did I read every single line of poetry in here, that's not what this compilation is for).

[Jitske · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent collection of a wide variety of poetry. I consider it a treat - And if you value poetry for what it's worth there must be something to your liking hidden inside this volume, just waiting for you to find it.

[Colin Flanigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth the purchase, it has lots of different poems in a large nice format. I have a hardback edition with a nice heft to it. The Emily Bronte chapter is very well done. Its the perfect book to dip into at any page and at any time.

[Ainsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could be stuck with a few books on a desert island, this would be one of them. Very high level of re-readability.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite collection of poetry.

[Michael Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll probably be "currently-reading" this till I step into glory. But I appreciate such an informed collection when there is such a vast number of poets and poetry.

[Garth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my bible. Thank you Rumpole of the Bailey!!

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several oxford anthologies. Loved them all.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband & I are taking turns reading some poems from this in the evenings. This is a nice anthology except that we didn't realize quite how much Old English we were getting. Still fun!