Making the House a Home

by Edgar A. Guest

Edgar Guest was a popular American poet in the first half of the 20th century. His poetry was known for its sentimental and optimistic tone. Guest created over 11,000 poems, which were syndicated in some 300 newspapers. He was awarded the honor of being named the first Poet Laureate of Michigan. Making a House a Home is a wonderful little book, which begins "We have been building a home for the last fifteen years, but it begins to look now as though it will not be finished for many years to come. This is not because the contractors are slow, or the materials scarce, or because we keep changing our minds. Rather it is because it takes years to build a home, whereas a house can be builded in a few months."

Genres: Poetry

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

The family of Edgar Albert Guest settled in Detroit, Michigan, in 1891. When his father lost his job in 1893, eleven-year-old Edgar between working odd jobs after school. In 1895, the Detroit Free Press hired him as a copy boy, and he worked for the newspaper for almost sixty-five years. Death of the father compelled the seventeen-year-old poet to drop out high school and to work full time at the newspaper. From copy boy, he worked his way to a job in the news department. His first poem appeared on 11 December 1898. His weekly column, "Chaff," first appeared in 1904; his topical verses eventually became the daily "Breakfast Table Chat," which was syndicated to over three-hundred newspapers throughout the United States.

Guest married Nellie Crossman in 1906. The couple had three children. His brother Harry printed his first two books, Home Rhymes and Just Glad Things, in small editions. His verse quickly found an audience and the Chicago firm of Reilly and Britton began to publish his books at a rate of nearly one per year. His collections include Just Folks (1917), Over Here (1918), When Day Is Done (1921), The Passing Throng (1923), Harbor Lights of Home (1928), and Today and Tomorrow (1942).

From 1931 to 1942, Guest broadcast a weekly program on NBC radio. In 1951, "A Guest in Your Home" appeared on NBC TV. He published more than twenty volumes of poetry and was thought to have written over 11,000 poems. Guest has been called "the poet of the people." Most often, his poems were fourteen lines long and presented a deeply sentimental view of everyday life. He considered himself "a newspaper man who wrote verses." Of his poem he said, "I take simple everyday things that happen to me and I figure it happens to a lot of other people and I make simple rhymes out of them." His Collected Verse appeared in 1934 and went into at least eleven editions.

- See more at: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/...

Reviews

[Maria Gable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not at all what I was expecting and I really don't agree with the way he handled his money, but a lot of the family notes were sweet and encouraging.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected a book poetry. Instead, I found a biographical description of the joys and sorrows of him as a new husband and father continuing through the death of two children. A perspective on life a few generations ago that reminds us what really matters. A famous poem is at the end of the book.

[Olivia Starks · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a nice little journey kinda reminded me of the movie UP I loved the poem in the beginning. really you go on a quick trip through their marriage some of the little happy times to tragedies. I'm going to check out some more of his poetry.