A Treasury of the Familiar

by Ralph L. Woods, John Kieran (Foreword)

An interesting, if a bit dated, collection of (mostly)poetry and prose.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Classics, Anthologies, Literature, Humor, Family

749 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

Reviews

[Chris Gager · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this at the transfer station along with a haul of other interesting stuff. Should be great for trivia! 1944 edition - this is not "Vol. 1" - I'm not sure what exactly that means...

OMG! I've reached the end of this book(almost - one page/one poem to go. Before that the previous ten(+/-) pages were taken up by Oscar Wilde's "Ballad of Reading Gaol." If he hadn't been sent up for buggery we'd never have had that one. In summation, a significant percentage of the lines contained herein are near-drivel from the uninteresting cultural middle-ground of the past, but still, this has been fun to go through and mine for trivia questions.

- 2 1/2 years and a thousand trivia questions!

- 4.25* rounds down to 4*,

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I turned fourteen I really wanted a microscope for my birthday. My stepfather gave me this book instead, and at the time I was appalled. It seemed only one step up from getting socks and underwear, and the disappointment was bitter. He just said he hoped that I'd get to like it over time.

Well, later on I got my microscope, but that disappeared long ago and I have no idea what happened to it, and I still have this book. It's a gloriously disorganized mass of essays, poetry, song lyrics, great speeches, and so on, ranging from the serious - Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the death of Socrates - to the sublimely silly - Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, or the anonymous piece How to Tell Bad News. The whole inside front cover page is covered with notes where I've written titles and page numbers of favorites.

If you're looking for a great book to keep handy to just flip open and get lost in on slow afternoons, this is it.

[Crissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When moved back to Utah after my time at the University of Arizona I would spend every Wednesday afternoon at my Great-Grandmothers house reading poetry over a lunch of soup and sandwiches (and the occassional eclair from the bakery at Dicks grocery). The books we enjoyed reading out of most were the two anthologies edited by Ralph L Woods. My great Grandmothers copies were worn and well-loved, and I was able to purchase my own set on Amazon.com. What makes these books such treasures is that they are full of old friends, we would often come across something that was oft quoted and beloved. If you do not have a good collection of poems, these would be the ones to get, you'll be suprised at how many of them are familiar to you, even if you are not a great poetry scholar.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gift, from my mother, that I will treasure forever. She apparently acquired three copies, when I was little or before I was born. She kept one for herself and one for each of her children, my younger sister and I. My sister is far more learned and well-read than I, but treasures this one just as I do.

Contained within are excerpts from and whole reproductions of letters from some of our Founding Fathers, as well as great poems, and poignant though sometimes anonymous quotes. There are many pieces and passages that will likely make one think, "ahhh, that's who wrote that!", or, "oh, that's where that comes from!"

I have three sons, now grown, and when they were small we had many age appropriate books we read to them at bed time, but my favorites to read to them are contained in this book. Many a time I had the great fortune to read "The Lamplighter" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and "Dutch Lullaby" (Wynken, Blynken and Nod) by Eugene Field to them. I still get a little teary-eyed when I read them, thinking of my three lads when they were tiny.

What a fantastic gift, the gift of knowledge, especially as wonderful and varied a collection as this! It has a place of prominence in my personal library and, of course, my heart. As such, I highly recommend reading it and, if you can, acquiring a copy - for yourself and someone (or several) you love.

[James Kingman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be as exhaustive and authoritative as Bartletts or Nortons. It is fascinating and enjoyable, though not extremely user friendly. There should be a copy in every home; it should be read to children and treated as a textbook in classes.

[Neil Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

IF I COULD ONLY HAVE ONE BOOK TO READ, THIS IS IT!

I AM ON MY FORTH COPY OF IT AS THE OTHER THREE I LENT OUT WERE NEVER RETURHED. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I NO LONGER LEND IT TO ANYONE.

THERE IS NO DATE YOU FINISH READING IT AS THOSE WHO LOVE READING WILL BE GOING BACK TO IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN!

[Jaccalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl cannot have a good collection of books without a large volume of classic poems.

[bela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Medium: physical book
Would read again?: yes
Would buy? acquire grandma's one day