Collected Verse of Edgar Guest 11TH Edition With Slipcase

by Edgar A. Guest

A large collection of poems organized alphabetically.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Literature

935 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1934

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

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most touching poetry I have read.

[Fostergrants · Rating 5 out of 5]

i will quote the poem that made me fall in love with this book - published in 1934 - and all of Mr. Guest's poems in this book are like this...simple, unpretentious, nostalgic even.

"Dirty Hands"

I have to wash myself at night before I go to bed,
An' wash again when I get up, and wash before
I'm fed,
An' Ma inspects my neck an' ears an' Pa my
hands an' shirt_
They seem to wonder why it is that I'm so fond
of dirt.
But Bill-my chum-an' I agree that we have
never seen
A feller doing anything whose hands were white
an' clean.

Bill's mother scolds the same as mine an' calls
him in from play
To make him wash his face an' hands a dozen
times a day.
Dirt seems to worry mothers so. But when the
plumber comes
To fix the pipes, it's plain to see he never scrubs
his thumbs;
His clothes are always thick with grease, his face
is smeared with dirt.
An' he is not ashamed to show the smudges on
his shirt.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for comforting poetry, this book will fit the bill. I liked this book so much, I purchased it so I could keep re-reading favorite poems, and that's saying a lot coming from this non poetry lover.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of collected poems by one of my favorite poets. Some find his poetry kitschy, but I have always found it redolent of typical Americana.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the poems of Edgar A. Guest. For the past year or two, I have started the day by reading a verse or two which have brightened my day.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard so much of Guest's poetry quoted from time to time, that I decided to become more familiar with it. This collection was enjoyable. I expect I will come back to it someday and finish up those poems I did not get to read. Just bouncing around to those pages with eye-catching titles kept me busy on several evenings and I managed to impart a number of verses to other family members by reading them aloud, not always to an appreciative audience.

[Jeniann · Rating 5 out of 5]

About halfway through reading this I had to buy a copy so that I could mark the poems that I liked the best. This is now one of my favorite poetry books of all time. There are so many wonderful ones here, and many about home and family that I could relate to. It was so uplifting to read also and definitely one I will go back and read from over and over.

[Dean Akin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of poems by one of my favorite American poets. The poems are warm and inviting. Thought provoking and real. Not pretentious or elitist, just good old home spun values and observations.
Hard to put a date on having read the book. We used it to read to our children over the years with great relish. Enjoy!

[Megan]

Slowly making my way through a compilation of poems by my favorite poet of all time. Mr. Guest wrote poems that are uplifting, spiritual, sad, bittersweet, and everything in between. My favorite poem by him is "Myself." My other favorites are about love and friendship.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this volume. My favorite poem is "Blessings"

[Diane Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the poetry of Edgar Guest and was thrilled to pick up this 1945 boxed edition.

[Shari Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the calm and joy his verse sings into my heart and mind . . .

[Dana OBrian]

Two poems on perseverance:
See It Through by Edgar Guest
It Couldn’t Be Done by Edgar Guest

[Roger Young]

Edgar Guest is probably my favorite poet of all time (and I have quite a few 'favorite' poems/poets)

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

New favorite poet.

Like Dr. Seuss for adults.

Straight forward but with some complexity and nuance from time to time.

[Tori Almack · Rating 5 out of 5]

So comforting

[Peter Pactor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a predilection toward this book before I read it. I had already read some of his earlier volumes, and Edgar A. Guest is one of my three favorite poets that write in his style. In addition to Guest, I rank, James Whitcomb Riley and Eugene Fields. I have been reading their poetry since I was a little boy over sixty years ago.

Here is why I like Guests poetry. First, he writes about every-day experiences, about the things, people and events we all have in common, and by so doing, he reminds us of what's important. Second. he is spiritual. He doesn't advocate any specific creed, but he advocates man's relationship to God and to nature. He is not preachy. Third, he has a sense of humor that appears occasionally. Finally, he writes poems to guide his reader. Perhaps, his most well known poem is "They Said It Couldn't Be Done." This poem appears in Napoleon Hills' "The Law of Success".

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It made me reflect on the content of many poems. It reminded me of friends and family past. I will read it again.

[Melvina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell in love with Mr. Guest's poems in 11th grade. For my lit class we had to learn and recite numerous poets and "Don't Quit" was one of them. I remember it it so vividly, standing in front of the class and saying the words. I recited it all the time for no reason just because I liked hearing it. I didn't know there was an entire book of his poems until later. I'm so glad I found it. I consumed it so eagerly that when I finished I was upset with myself. Fortunately, I can read it over and over again. I wouldn't call myself a poetry aficionado but there's something about his poems that make me reach for them no matter how I feel. They put me at ease. If it wasn't so difficult sleeping with a hardback book, I'd snuggle it.

[Joy Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edgar A. Guest was my mom’s favorite poet and now he’s mine. Good wholesome prose about life, often with a surprise ending.