The Treasury of American Poetry

by Nancy Sullivan

The title of this anthology suggests the thrust of its contents: The treasures inside are the definition of a country characterized by diversity, power, stability, and strife. Because of the complexity of American life and of America's heritage, it is easier to explain what American poetry is not than to explain what it is. There is, however, no denying that the myriad events and personalities which produced this country provoked and shaped a poetic heritage which can only be defined as a national treasure. Not every poem in this anthology is a jewel in the literary sense, nut each one, verbal emerald as well as verbal opal, has its intrinsic quality and character. Collectively they shape a unique and haphazard crown for a monarchless country.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Classics, Anthologies, Reference, American

838 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Nancy Sullivan was a poet and emeritus professor of English at Rhode Island College. She taught additionally at Brown University.

It was Tom Chandler, poet laureate of Rhode Island emeritus, who described Sullivan in lofty terms in a 2004 column for The Providence Journal: “We are a place of many hidden treasures, both in our land and in our people — especially our people,” Chandler wrote. “One of Rhode Island's literary treasures is poet Nancy Sullivan, of West Kingston, a nationally honored writer for more than four decades.”

Poetry fellow National Endowment for the Arts, 1976-1977; named to Hunter College Hall of Fame, New York City, 1998. Member Poets House, Poetry Society of America, Humanities Forum Rhode Island.
Bachelor, Hunter College, 1951. Master of Arts, University Rhode Island, 1953. Doctor of Philosophy, University Connecticut, 1963.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some of my favorite poems by my favorite poets. I especially love 'Birches' by Robert Frost, 'Hope Is the Thing With Feathers' by Emily Dickinson, and 'The Raven' by Edgar Allen Poe. There are so many great ones in this book that I can't even begin to name them all. Lately I have been keeping this book on my nightstand and I open it to a random page each night and read.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I also picked this up at a thrift store recently and I have been reading a few poems each day to my kids. I have been surprised and delighted with this collection as it's more comprehensive than I would have guessed upon first picking it up.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My copy was published 1978, a hardback by Doubleday with isbn of 0-385-12033-X. A collection of American Poetry. I love flipping through it and reading a poem and reflecting.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This huge tome, published in 1978, was intended as a historically broad collection of American poetry for the general public, as opposed to those studying poetry. The generic title had me skeptical about what I would find in this book but it actually serves its purpose very well. My only objection to it in the end is that it’s huge (but how could it be otherwise) and thus not very manageable for old hands.

The Treasury’s historical scope begins with Anne Bradstreet (1600s) and ends with Nikki Giovanni (b. 1943). I would call it moderately inclusive for its time. In the 20th Century it covers everything from Robert Frost to Gregory Corso. Sullivan didn’t shy away from long works. It includes the entirety of Whittier’s “Snowbound” and Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” She provides more poems by earlier poets. Once she it’s those born in the 20th Century, she favors including as many poets as possible with fewer poems representing them. This choice makes sense to me considering the burgeoning of poetry in the 20th Century. There is no commentary on the poems at all and no bios of the poets but it does have indexes of first lines, titles, and authors.

This would be a great book for someone who only wanted an anthology or two to dip into from time to time or for a family library for young people to explore as they grow up. If a digital version had become available before it went out of print, I would have considered keeping a copy. I’m not that interested in earlier American poetry so what’s in this volume would be enough for me. As it is, I let it go back into my community for someone younger and stronger to enjoy.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a review. This is a list of poems I especially enjoyed, poems which remain relevant today, or poems I'd generally like to remember from the collection:

Philip Freneau - On a Honey Bee Drinking from a Glass of Wine and Drowned Therein
Joel Barlow - The Hasty Pudding
Oliver Wendell Holmes - The Deacon's Masterpiece, or, The Wonderful "One-Hoss Shay"
James Russell Lowell - A Fable For Critics
Walt Whitman - Oh Captain, My Captain (thanks, Robin Williams)
From a Slave Marriage Ceremony
Emily Dickinson - 185
Emily Dickinson - 1263
Edwin Arlington Robinson - Richard Cory
Stephen Crane - A Man Said to the Universe
Carl Sandberg - I Am the People, the Mob
Ezra Pound - Salutation
Marianne Moore - Poetry
Ogden Nash - The Terrible People
Gwendolyn Brooks - Riot
Lawrence Ferlinghetti - Constantly Risking Absurdity
James Schevill - A Screamer Discusses Methods of Screaming
James Dickey - The Sheep Child
Louis Simpson - American Poetry
Jane Cooper - Rent
Maxine Kumin - After Love
Robert Creeley - The Warning
Galway Kinnell - The Bear
Paul Petrie - The Old Pro's Lament
Gregory Corso - Marriage
Lucille Clifton - For deLawd
June Jordan - Poem to My Sister, Ethel Ennis...
Richard Kostelanetz - Tribute to Henry Ford
Haki R. Madhubuti - Mixed Sketches
Nikki Giovanni - Kidnap Poem

[Benjamin Mester · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as poetry collections go, this is one of the best I've come across. Anyone who has ever casually picked up a volume of collected poems, you've probably quickly been disappointed with how dry and inaccessible the poems are. While some of the poems in this collection are more work than pleasure, by and large, Sullivan has compiled some of the most touching and meaning poems of American poets. This volume introduced me to my favorite poem of all time, Recuerdo, by Edna St Vincent Millay. This is a good volume of poems for the casual reader who doesn't yet know if they want to dive in to the wonderful world of poetry. The only thing I take issue with is that Sullivan had no representation for one of the best American poets, Sara Teasdale. I couldn't give it a five star rating when it left out such a talented poet.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good anthology, especially for someone who hasn't read much poetry. It felt like a pretty good mix of styles, with some stuff I really liked and some I found completely forgettable.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess that I don’t understand poetry. And I don’t think I understand it any better after reading 800 pages of it than I did before. Some of it — Gertrude Stein comes to mind — strikes me as nonsensical babble; but others are sublime. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of recurring themes: death, love, nature. Whether you prefer rhymed or unrhymed verses, epic or punchy, there’s likely something here that will touch a chord within your soul. Be warned, however, you’ll wade through some refuse to find it.

[Ashley (JaffaCaffa) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am no expert on poetry, I have only read a handful which is why I decided to read this and expand my horizons! I have always been interested in poetry, but never took the time to appreciate it. Here's my ratings of the poems I read, more for future reference than anything, so I can look back and see which poets were my favourites and why. Feel free to read the ones I rated highly, or suggest other poems you think I may like!

E. E. Cummings:
"Anyone lived in a pretty how town" ★★

Countee Cullen: "Yet Do I Marvel" ★★★

Walt Whitman:
"O Captain! My Captain!" ★★★★★

T. S. Eliot:
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" ★★ I liked it, just too drawn out.

Robert Frost:
"Provide, Provide" ★★
"The Oven Bird" ★★★
"The Road Not Taken" ★ Generic.
"Fire and Ice" ★★★★
"Design" ★★

Randall Jarrell:
"The Lost Children" ★★★★
"Losses" ★★★★★
"The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" ★★★★ Such a powerful poem, making you open your eyes to the devastation that is war. The deaths are not a statistic, but a count of each individual soul who had their lives taken away from them.

William Carlos Williams:
"Tract" ★★★

[Cameron Kobes]

I'm slowly making through this anthology, just a few poems a day. I really love it. Wouldn't recommend it for a thorough knowledge of any poet, but it's excellent for giving introductions to an extensive set of great poets.

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry is just something I need to have on hand.

[Lisi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of some of the best American poetry ever! I especially love the poems of E.E. Cummings.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am on a poetry kick right now!

[Florence Buchholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book introduced me to Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" which I profoundly loved. No other poet in the book affected me as much.

[kenneth]

.

[Cheryl]

Lobby book (one of two, the other a collection of Shakespeare) at the BW Kelly Inn in Minot, ND. Looks really good; fit to my taste.