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101 Famous Poems With a Prose Supplement
Nature, man and human history are reflected on in the verse of English and American poets and such prose works as the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence
199 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1916
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July 16, 2016
The night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.
~Francis William Bourdillon
This old poetry is not necessarily my cup of tea (throw some Bukowski in there with a cup of whiskey and we're talking) but I still rate this a solid 5. This is poetry in which you will find some of the most famous lines in history. This is poetry, but in a sense, it is a piece of history as well. The book is capped off with some famous historical documents.
February 15, 2023
This was my mother’s book, and I think she got it from her parents. It was published in 1929, and contains a selection of famous poets as well as poets that were famous at that time who have since been largely forgotten. It was definitely geared toward popular taste rather than The Literati, but it’s refreshing to remember a time when there was a popular taste for poetry.
I first read this volume through when I was working on a poetry project in my eighth grade English class. It was among the first volumes of poetry I read, and automatically gets four stars for introducing me to the form.
I first read this volume through when I was working on a poetry project in my eighth grade English class. It was among the first volumes of poetry I read, and automatically gets four stars for introducing me to the form.
May 29, 2008
My dad had a 1929 copy of this book. It's pretty sweet. It's got the best of the best inside. Whenever I would consider giving presents to people, this book would usually cross my mind. I've read most of it, but now I'm starting at the beginning and reading it through.
EDIT: And now I've finished it.
I have a lot of favorites. I love the multi-layered symbolism in "In Flanders Fields." The poppies being red, and an opiate and the fact that they introduce the poem and give it a sense of closure.
Kipling's "If" is a masterpiece, as are his other works in here. It's interesting to look at the timing of his personal life for when he wrote "The Gods of the Copybook Headings."
"Paul Revere's Ride" "Oh Captain My Captain"
"Horatius" was a pleasant suprise. I could never get into that poem before. I really liked it this time around.
EDIT: And now I've finished it.
I have a lot of favorites. I love the multi-layered symbolism in "In Flanders Fields." The poppies being red, and an opiate and the fact that they introduce the poem and give it a sense of closure.
Kipling's "If" is a masterpiece, as are his other works in here. It's interesting to look at the timing of his personal life for when he wrote "The Gods of the Copybook Headings."
"Paul Revere's Ride" "Oh Captain My Captain"
"Horatius" was a pleasant suprise. I could never get into that poem before. I really liked it this time around.
October 8, 2021
"Preface: This is the age of science, of steel--of speed and the cement road, The age of hard faces and hard highways. Science and steel demand a medium of prose. Speed requires only the look--the gesture. What need then, for poetry?
Great need!"
The summer I turned eleven my family moved from Tonawanda, NY to Michigan. For several months we lived with my grandparents while my folks looked for a new house. All my possessions, save for my Barbie dolls, were in boxes in my grandparents' garage. I was a great reader and perused my grandfather's books for something to read. I found One Hundred and One Famous Poems and read it so often that my grandfather gave it to me.
The poems entertained me, taught me to love language, and extolled traditional American values of home, country, initiative, and community. I learned history. I learned about experiences very unlike my own.
My earliest favorite was Eugene Field's The Duel. Otherwise known by its protagonists, the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat, who "side by side on the table sat." They started a fight that upset the Dutch Clock and the Chinese plate. Next morning there was no trace of dog or cat. "The truth about the cat and pup is this: they ate each other up!"
Now, if that does not warn against the horrible end of those who engage in senseless fights! (find the poem at http://www.mamalisa.com/field/)
The Spider and The Fly by Mary Howitt is a warning to beware falling victim to flattery. The spider entices a fly into "the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy" with "fine and thin sheets." When that does not work, the spider talks about the fly's 'robes of green and purple and eyes like the diamond bright.' She finally is seduced and enters...never to be seen again. The dear children are then warned to take a lesson and "unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye." http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~aathavan...
I loved the story poems. Especially Alfred Noye's The Highwayman, a romantic tale of the robber who loves Bess, the landlords' dark-eyed daughter. When the Redcoats tie Bess up and wait for the highwayman to return to her, she warns him by fingering the rifle trigger, sacrificing her own life. I adored the language of the poem: "The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, the moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,/the road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor." http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
The language of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven was also gorgeous. "It was in the bleak December, and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor". "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain /Thrilled me--filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before." I soon discovered a complete set of Poe on my grandfather's shelves and ended up taking them home permanently as well. http://www.eapoe.org/works/poems/rave...
I suffered terrible nostalgia and homesickness for over two years after our move. Out To Old Aunt Mary's by James Whitcomb Riley allowed me to indulge my own fond remembrances of a childhood home so recently lost. He spoke of willow trees, which had surrounded my own home.
http://www.jameswhitcombriley.com/you...
Little Boy Blue by Eugene Field describes the vacant chair and waiting toys of the absent boy, who I did not realize was dead when I first read it; I thought he had grown up as I was growing up--quite against my wishes. The poem's sweet nostalgia transported me to my own future. And John Greenleaf Whittier's Barefoot Boy speaks of the lost freedom of childhood, lost to the "mills of toil." http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
And the volume warned about the adult responsibilities and horrors that awaited.
Like War. Did the Light Brigade also have a 'rendezvous with death' when they charged forward? Was their death gentle, as Alan Seeger wrote? This was a world of poppies in Flanders' fields, and of grass-covered graves in Gettysburg so that people asked "what place is this" and did not remember the violence it had seen.
The suffering of the poor in Thomas Hood's Song of the Shirt, "with fingers weary and worn" a women in rags sewed "in poverty, hunger, and dirt." "It is not linen you're wearing bout,/But human creature's lives!"
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/h...
And immediately follows Shakespeare's "The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven."
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/pr...
What is our purpose on earth? Abou Ben Adhem asks the Angel if his name was in the book of those who loved the Lord and was told, "Nay, not so." He asks to "write me as one that loved his fellow men" and lo! his name led the list of those whom God had blessed. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
I was taught social consciousness.
The "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" may have given Hamlet pause. But every other poem condemns his indecision. "It isn't the fact you're dead that counts,/But only, how did you die?" asks Edmund Vance Cooke. "It's how did you fight and why' and "how did you take" the troubles life throws at you. "Come up with a smiling face, to lie there--that's disgrace."
http://allpoetry.com/poem/8619995-How...
"Be strong!" admonishes Maltbie Davenport Babcock, "we are not here to play, to dream, to drift: we have hard work to do and loads to life. Shun not the struggle--face it; 'tis God's gift."
http://acacia.pair.com/Acacia.Vignett...
"Taint no use to sit an' whine," Frank Stanton encourages in Keep a-Goin, "drain the sweetness from the cup.
"http://royceferguson.blogspot.com/201...
"Yours is the Earth and everything in it!" Rudyard Kipling cries. "If you can dream, and not make dreams your master."
http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_if.htm
"Act--act in the living Present!" proclaims Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Psalm of Life. "We can makes our lives sublime/ And, departing leave behind us/Footprints on the sands of time!"http://www.potw.org/archive/potw232.html
Natural beauty was extolled in these poems.
"Poems are made by fools like me/But only God can make a tree." Joyce Kilmer will always be remembered for this simple poem. "What does he plant who plants a tree?" ashed Henry Cuyler Bummer in The Heart of the Tree. "He plants the glory of the plain; He plants the forest's heritage, the harvest of a coming age;/ The joy that unborn eyes shall see--"
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/bu...
William Wordsworth "wandered lonely as a cloud" and comes across "a crowd a host of golden daffodils" which like Shelley's skylark taught him gladness and "unbodied joy."
The book is tattered with bent edges and the paper cover of the book has separated from the spine. Yet it is one of my most treasured possessions, for it brought me to an early love of poetry.
The 1922 edition of One Hundred and One Famous Poems from The Cable Company is found at the Library of Congress and can be downloaded in many formats.
http://archive.org/details/onehundred...
Great need!"
The summer I turned eleven my family moved from Tonawanda, NY to Michigan. For several months we lived with my grandparents while my folks looked for a new house. All my possessions, save for my Barbie dolls, were in boxes in my grandparents' garage. I was a great reader and perused my grandfather's books for something to read. I found One Hundred and One Famous Poems and read it so often that my grandfather gave it to me.
The poems entertained me, taught me to love language, and extolled traditional American values of home, country, initiative, and community. I learned history. I learned about experiences very unlike my own.
My earliest favorite was Eugene Field's The Duel. Otherwise known by its protagonists, the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat, who "side by side on the table sat." They started a fight that upset the Dutch Clock and the Chinese plate. Next morning there was no trace of dog or cat. "The truth about the cat and pup is this: they ate each other up!"
Now, if that does not warn against the horrible end of those who engage in senseless fights! (find the poem at http://www.mamalisa.com/field/)
The Spider and The Fly by Mary Howitt is a warning to beware falling victim to flattery. The spider entices a fly into "the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy" with "fine and thin sheets." When that does not work, the spider talks about the fly's 'robes of green and purple and eyes like the diamond bright.' She finally is seduced and enters...never to be seen again. The dear children are then warned to take a lesson and "unto an evil counselor close heart, and ear, and eye." http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~aathavan...
I loved the story poems. Especially Alfred Noye's The Highwayman, a romantic tale of the robber who loves Bess, the landlords' dark-eyed daughter. When the Redcoats tie Bess up and wait for the highwayman to return to her, she warns him by fingering the rifle trigger, sacrificing her own life. I adored the language of the poem: "The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, the moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,/the road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor." http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
The language of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven was also gorgeous. "It was in the bleak December, and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor". "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain /Thrilled me--filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before." I soon discovered a complete set of Poe on my grandfather's shelves and ended up taking them home permanently as well. http://www.eapoe.org/works/poems/rave...
I suffered terrible nostalgia and homesickness for over two years after our move. Out To Old Aunt Mary's by James Whitcomb Riley allowed me to indulge my own fond remembrances of a childhood home so recently lost. He spoke of willow trees, which had surrounded my own home.
http://www.jameswhitcombriley.com/you...
Little Boy Blue by Eugene Field describes the vacant chair and waiting toys of the absent boy, who I did not realize was dead when I first read it; I thought he had grown up as I was growing up--quite against my wishes. The poem's sweet nostalgia transported me to my own future. And John Greenleaf Whittier's Barefoot Boy speaks of the lost freedom of childhood, lost to the "mills of toil." http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
And the volume warned about the adult responsibilities and horrors that awaited.
Like War. Did the Light Brigade also have a 'rendezvous with death' when they charged forward? Was their death gentle, as Alan Seeger wrote? This was a world of poppies in Flanders' fields, and of grass-covered graves in Gettysburg so that people asked "what place is this" and did not remember the violence it had seen.
The suffering of the poor in Thomas Hood's Song of the Shirt, "with fingers weary and worn" a women in rags sewed "in poverty, hunger, and dirt." "It is not linen you're wearing bout,/But human creature's lives!"
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/h...
And immediately follows Shakespeare's "The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven."
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/pr...
What is our purpose on earth? Abou Ben Adhem asks the Angel if his name was in the book of those who loved the Lord and was told, "Nay, not so." He asks to "write me as one that loved his fellow men" and lo! his name led the list of those whom God had blessed. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/...
I was taught social consciousness.
The "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" may have given Hamlet pause. But every other poem condemns his indecision. "It isn't the fact you're dead that counts,/But only, how did you die?" asks Edmund Vance Cooke. "It's how did you fight and why' and "how did you take" the troubles life throws at you. "Come up with a smiling face, to lie there--that's disgrace."
http://allpoetry.com/poem/8619995-How...
"Be strong!" admonishes Maltbie Davenport Babcock, "we are not here to play, to dream, to drift: we have hard work to do and loads to life. Shun not the struggle--face it; 'tis God's gift."
http://acacia.pair.com/Acacia.Vignett...
"Taint no use to sit an' whine," Frank Stanton encourages in Keep a-Goin, "drain the sweetness from the cup.
"http://royceferguson.blogspot.com/201...
"Yours is the Earth and everything in it!" Rudyard Kipling cries. "If you can dream, and not make dreams your master."
http://www.kipling.org.uk/poems_if.htm
"Act--act in the living Present!" proclaims Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in Psalm of Life. "We can makes our lives sublime/ And, departing leave behind us/Footprints on the sands of time!"http://www.potw.org/archive/potw232.html
Natural beauty was extolled in these poems.
"Poems are made by fools like me/But only God can make a tree." Joyce Kilmer will always be remembered for this simple poem. "What does he plant who plants a tree?" ashed Henry Cuyler Bummer in The Heart of the Tree. "He plants the glory of the plain; He plants the forest's heritage, the harvest of a coming age;/ The joy that unborn eyes shall see--"
http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/bu...
William Wordsworth "wandered lonely as a cloud" and comes across "a crowd a host of golden daffodils" which like Shelley's skylark taught him gladness and "unbodied joy."
The book is tattered with bent edges and the paper cover of the book has separated from the spine. Yet it is one of my most treasured possessions, for it brought me to an early love of poetry.
The 1922 edition of One Hundred and One Famous Poems from The Cable Company is found at the Library of Congress and can be downloaded in many formats.
http://archive.org/details/onehundred...
March 28, 2016
I've re-read this multiple times, it has many classical poems in it that I love like "Charge of the Light Brigade". I re-read parts of it again for my Western Civilization class to compare and contrast 3 poems of the First World War that are in it. The most well known one "In Flanders Fields" by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, also "I Have a Rendezvous with Death" by Alan Seeger, both who took part in the war and were killed in action. The final "The Spires of Oxford" by Winifred M. Letts who wrote about those who died in the war from the view of one left behind.
April 20, 2014
Fun but outdated, and VERY white and male. Useful now mostly as a document of how tastes change.
September 9, 2013
My favorite poem in this book is by Francis William Bourdillon, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes:
The night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.
Cuddle Doon by Alexander Anderson was super cute and I love reading the old language style even though it's hard to understand since I don't know all of those words (and being old English they aren't all in the dictionary).
I also liked Maud Muller by John Greenleaf Whittier, Home by Edgar A Guest, Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Letter to a Young Friend by Robert Burns, and How Did You Die by Edmund Vance Cooke.
It's cool that they have portraits of the authors of each poem too. Neat little book!
The night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one;
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.
Cuddle Doon by Alexander Anderson was super cute and I love reading the old language style even though it's hard to understand since I don't know all of those words (and being old English they aren't all in the dictionary).
I also liked Maud Muller by John Greenleaf Whittier, Home by Edgar A Guest, Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Letter to a Young Friend by Robert Burns, and How Did You Die by Edmund Vance Cooke.
It's cool that they have portraits of the authors of each poem too. Neat little book!
April 7, 2023
4/5 stars
As a person who likes to dive down deep into the depths of emotions and explore the intricate nuances of the human experience, I find that poems have an unparalleled ability to captivate my heart, stir my soul, and leave me in awe of the power of words woven together in beautiful, evocative ways.
"101 Famous Poems" by Roy Jay Cook is a delightful treasure trove that fuels my love for poetry and keeps me coming back for more.
This collection boasts an impressive array of poems from renowned poets, spanning different styles, eras, and themes. From Robert Frost's soul-stirring verses to Maya Angelou's empowering words, there's something for everyone in this eclectic mix.
One thing that stood out to me was how approachable and easy-to-understand the poems were. Even for someone who might not be well-versed in poetry, the language used in this collection is relatable and doesn't require a Ph.D. in literature to decipher.
The poems are carefully curated, representing a wide range of emotions, experiences, and perspectives. From love and loss to nature and societal commentary, the collection offers a diverse glimpse into the human experience.
The only slight drawback is that the collection tends to focus more on traditional Western poets, with lesser representation from poets of other cultures or underrepresented groups. It would have been great to see a more inclusive selection that reflects a broader diversity of voices.
After finishing this collection, one thing that stayed with me was the power of poetry to capture the human experience in its myriad forms. From the joys of love to the depths of sorrow, the poems in "101 Famous Poems" serve as a reminder of the timeless beauty and resonance of poetry in our lives.
In conclusion, "101 Famous Poems" by Roy Jay Cook is a worthy addition to any poetry lover's bookshelf. So go ahead, pick up this collection, and let yourself be swept away by the magic of poetry!
As a person who likes to dive down deep into the depths of emotions and explore the intricate nuances of the human experience, I find that poems have an unparalleled ability to captivate my heart, stir my soul, and leave me in awe of the power of words woven together in beautiful, evocative ways.
"101 Famous Poems" by Roy Jay Cook is a delightful treasure trove that fuels my love for poetry and keeps me coming back for more.
This collection boasts an impressive array of poems from renowned poets, spanning different styles, eras, and themes. From Robert Frost's soul-stirring verses to Maya Angelou's empowering words, there's something for everyone in this eclectic mix.
One thing that stood out to me was how approachable and easy-to-understand the poems were. Even for someone who might not be well-versed in poetry, the language used in this collection is relatable and doesn't require a Ph.D. in literature to decipher.
The poems are carefully curated, representing a wide range of emotions, experiences, and perspectives. From love and loss to nature and societal commentary, the collection offers a diverse glimpse into the human experience.
The only slight drawback is that the collection tends to focus more on traditional Western poets, with lesser representation from poets of other cultures or underrepresented groups. It would have been great to see a more inclusive selection that reflects a broader diversity of voices.
After finishing this collection, one thing that stayed with me was the power of poetry to capture the human experience in its myriad forms. From the joys of love to the depths of sorrow, the poems in "101 Famous Poems" serve as a reminder of the timeless beauty and resonance of poetry in our lives.
In conclusion, "101 Famous Poems" by Roy Jay Cook is a worthy addition to any poetry lover's bookshelf. So go ahead, pick up this collection, and let yourself be swept away by the magic of poetry!
August 26, 2015
I actually own a 1926 edition of this book and I have to say it contains some of the best classic poetry..along with some now mediocre poems favored in the old Victorian era. But for the most part the poetry and prose is good and this book is a good and interesting read.
This book is a historical treasure in how it shows what reading in the ante-depression era was like. It is filled to the brim with Romantic/transcendentalist authors as well as the Victorians, an almost disturbing amount of dead WWI casualties(in this respect I am reminded of the comments that often wonder "had not the Great War happened how many more great writers would the world have had?"), Shakespeare & some of his peers, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, and a "prose Supplement that includes: The Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, Letter To Mrs. Bixby, Magna Carta, The Ten Commandments, and Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" speech.
To let you know how old this book is in context I believe Robert Frost and Edna St. Vincent Millay were the two youngest (at the that time living) poets to be featured in this anthology.
So I give this book my seal of approval and if you find it or even another old book like it than count yourself lucky.
This book is a historical treasure in how it shows what reading in the ante-depression era was like. It is filled to the brim with Romantic/transcendentalist authors as well as the Victorians, an almost disturbing amount of dead WWI casualties(in this respect I am reminded of the comments that often wonder "had not the Great War happened how many more great writers would the world have had?"), Shakespeare & some of his peers, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, and a "prose Supplement that includes: The Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, Letter To Mrs. Bixby, Magna Carta, The Ten Commandments, and Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" speech.
To let you know how old this book is in context I believe Robert Frost and Edna St. Vincent Millay were the two youngest (at the that time living) poets to be featured in this anthology.
So I give this book my seal of approval and if you find it or even another old book like it than count yourself lucky.
November 26, 2014
Reading a book of poetry from cover to cover is never the ideal way to savor each poem. That aside, i am glad I finally did that with this book I've had on my book shelf for many years reading a poem here and a poem there.
The range of poets included is broad although all English or American. The poems range from traditional rhymed and metered to some free verse. Most of the poets are men. Almost all the poems have a picture of the poet and dates of birth and death by them. Some have comments after them about the poem as the one "Lincoln, the Man of the People" by Edwin Markham chosen to be read at the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Some poems I did not like, some were all right, some I really liked. In future I would read a poem or two a day so I could reflect on each for a time.
For anyone not yet a poetry reader, this would be a nice book to start with because there is such a range of poems. I have ended up with some unexpected new favorites as well as revisiting some old favorites and look forward to reading another book of verse soon.
The range of poets included is broad although all English or American. The poems range from traditional rhymed and metered to some free verse. Most of the poets are men. Almost all the poems have a picture of the poet and dates of birth and death by them. Some have comments after them about the poem as the one "Lincoln, the Man of the People" by Edwin Markham chosen to be read at the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Some poems I did not like, some were all right, some I really liked. In future I would read a poem or two a day so I could reflect on each for a time.
For anyone not yet a poetry reader, this would be a nice book to start with because there is such a range of poems. I have ended up with some unexpected new favorites as well as revisiting some old favorites and look forward to reading another book of verse soon.
August 18, 2021
Fine fine fine. Many good poets and poems. Learned a lot about the era this collection focuses on. Couldn't help but notice that Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem, "My Kate", has its final stanza completely removed. The stanza that expressly states her love and physical affection for another woman. Noticed that even in this later edition of mine, there are no comments or editors notes to inform you of this fact. I'm very grateful that further research of her revealed to me the real ending of the poem. For this, and other reasons here and there, I would not count this among my favorite collections.
May 10, 2015
I really want to like poetry more than I do.
May 10, 2024
This is one of my mother's favorite books. I think her college roommate gave her a copy in the 1960s, and she has kept it ever since.
April 28, 2014
In print since 1916, this book of poetry contains a wide range of the best-known English poets,
from William Shakespeare Robert Frost, to Percy Bysshe Shelley and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Roy Cook assembled this much-loved collection and indexed them by title, author, and first line of the poem. The poetry represents early American, and although the poems may not be familiar to kids, they reflect a less complicated world. Well-known American poets such as William Bryant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe’s poems are included in this book. Other poets’ poems included in the book are Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edgar Lee Masters, and Carl Sandburg. English poets included are Elizabeth and Robert Browning, Burns, Keats, Kipling, Milton, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Shelley, Tennyson, and Wordsworth. This book will be a “must” in my classroom. Besides being classics, the poems reflect patriotism, honesty, respect for others and loyalty.
from William Shakespeare Robert Frost, to Percy Bysshe Shelley and Edna St. Vincent Millay.
Roy Cook assembled this much-loved collection and indexed them by title, author, and first line of the poem. The poetry represents early American, and although the poems may not be familiar to kids, they reflect a less complicated world. Well-known American poets such as William Bryant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe’s poems are included in this book. Other poets’ poems included in the book are Robert Frost, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Edgar Lee Masters, and Carl Sandburg. English poets included are Elizabeth and Robert Browning, Burns, Keats, Kipling, Milton, Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare, Shelley, Tennyson, and Wordsworth. This book will be a “must” in my classroom. Besides being classics, the poems reflect patriotism, honesty, respect for others and loyalty.
May 11, 2014
The title includes "with a prose supplement." Honestly, that annoyed the daylights out of me. Not the title, but that a book called One Hundred and One Famous Poems would include a prose supplement. Actually, it was probably the prose they selected that annoyed me even more.
These were not 101 Famous Political poems, yet the supplements were: The Gettysburg Address, The Ten Commandments (okay, that one gets a pass, kind of), a Patrick Henry speech, and The Declaration of Independence, and the Magna Charta.
Other than some unnecessarily political prose, though, the selection of poems was pretty good. I used them during the April Poetry Dare for April's National Poetry Month. I rather enjoyed these poems as I read them, and I used the time and the book to introduce myself to new poem and new poets. Definitely a good resource for a beginner's introduction to poetry.
These were not 101 Famous Political poems, yet the supplements were: The Gettysburg Address, The Ten Commandments (okay, that one gets a pass, kind of), a Patrick Henry speech, and The Declaration of Independence, and the Magna Charta.
Other than some unnecessarily political prose, though, the selection of poems was pretty good. I used them during the April Poetry Dare for April's National Poetry Month. I rather enjoyed these poems as I read them, and I used the time and the book to introduce myself to new poem and new poets. Definitely a good resource for a beginner's introduction to poetry.
March 9, 2012
This is a book my dad always had on his bookshelf, and my brother was kind enough to get it for me for my birthday. Some of the poems in it are kind of questionable (not for content, just for general inclusion), but many of them are the classics: "If," by Kipling, Hamlet's soliloquy, "The Raven," by Poe, even the Gettysburg Address. Great stuff in here. This is one book that will be on my bookshelf for a long time, too.
December 31, 2013
I'm actually the third in my generation to own a copy of this book, so reading this was a rite of passage for me in a way. This collection is classic and has such a great breadth of styles and talents, and such a great selection of poetry that really is fundamental for any great reader who appreciates all genres of writing. It is inspiring and relaxing, and I highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a great poetry anthology!
March 3, 2012
This will never be marked as 'finished reading' as it is one I pick up so often I am never truely done with it. My edition is missing a page from the prose, however. The page is there, it was just left blank. Is there anyone willing to share "Rules For Choosing Books"? I would love to at least insert it until I get a complete copy.
September 18, 2009
Classic poetry anthology. If you buy one poetry collection in you lifetime, this one is a superb choice.
April 30, 2020
Recently, I have seen something amazing in poetry that I have never seen before, but I don't know what it is. I was excited to read this book as it might invoke a discovery about what makes poetry special to me. I did not enjoy most of the poetry in this book because it didn't have that mystical flow about it. It was poetry like this that caused me to not like poetry in the first place. I am quite disappointed with this read. This has also taught me that I cannot appreciate long poems. Every long poem I have read has made my eyes hurt because it is so boring. I might say this book is for someone who cares so much about poetry that they don't need a flow to feel it's power.
April 28, 2023
Some made me lost in thought, some made me cry, and some made me bust out laughing. There were some old favorites… The Daffodils, The Spider and the Fly, The Highwayman, Paul Revere’s Ride are a few. But I found some new favorites too. You know a book is really good when it’s riddled with sticky notes.
December 4, 2021
Lyrical and gritty; each selection is delicate and perfect, playing upon the heart with precision almost painful at times, but stirring with deep joy. The span of voices manages to be both reassuring in familiarity and intriguing in unexpected tones putting this collection solidly among my favorite books.
January 21, 2020
I started reading this as an assignment in 9th or 10th grade English class. Loved it ever since.
December 24, 2022
Old poems. Mostly the old white guys. Not of today’s style. And yet, isn’t it a thrill when one reads a famous line right there, sitting unassumingly, in the middle of a poem. Mostly read at work. Received free for a good deed - passing it on to someone else. Edna St Vincent Millay Renascence was the best - a poem about a meetup with the divine. Powerfully moving.
December 24, 2024
I didn't understand some of them, but the ones I did were brilliant. Really amazing selection, honestly. My favorite has got to be like either Invictus or O' Captain, My Captain.
September 24, 2010
I have a small but growing collection of poetry books, and this one is definitely one of my favorites. I don't remember when or where I got it, but it has become a treasured friend on my bookshelf.
This book was compiled in the early 20th century, so none of these poems are contemporary. They are, however, all classics. You have the heavy hitters -- Longfellow, Burns, Whitman, Wordsworth, Kipling. Of course, you also have a few choice selections from Shakespeare. If you like classic, timeless literature, this is the book for you.
These poems address love, life, nature, spirituality, and much more. Some are inspirational, some are beautiful, some are kind of confusing. There is something here for everyone to enjoy. It's worth your time to mark which ones you liked best and come back to them time and time again. This is a book to live with, not to keep on a shelf looking nice. Use it!
As if having 101 great works of poetry in one volume isn't enough, there are also portraits of most of the poets next to their poems. You also get a short prose supplement near the end with the Declaration of Independence and more. There are, perhaps, some pieces that could have been added to that section, but this is a poetry book for the most part.
I realize my review doesn't really sell this book as much as it needs, so I'll just say that it is an essential collection for any poetry lover. This is a keeper, so get yourself a copy and start reading.
This book was compiled in the early 20th century, so none of these poems are contemporary. They are, however, all classics. You have the heavy hitters -- Longfellow, Burns, Whitman, Wordsworth, Kipling. Of course, you also have a few choice selections from Shakespeare. If you like classic, timeless literature, this is the book for you.
These poems address love, life, nature, spirituality, and much more. Some are inspirational, some are beautiful, some are kind of confusing. There is something here for everyone to enjoy. It's worth your time to mark which ones you liked best and come back to them time and time again. This is a book to live with, not to keep on a shelf looking nice. Use it!
As if having 101 great works of poetry in one volume isn't enough, there are also portraits of most of the poets next to their poems. You also get a short prose supplement near the end with the Declaration of Independence and more. There are, perhaps, some pieces that could have been added to that section, but this is a poetry book for the most part.
I realize my review doesn't really sell this book as much as it needs, so I'll just say that it is an essential collection for any poetry lover. This is a keeper, so get yourself a copy and start reading.
November 20, 2017
I am told that this anthology contains some of my grandfather's favorite poems, and that it never has been out of print since it first was published in the nineteen teens.
The poems included are diverse and appear to reflect the compiler's personal tastes. Some of the poets are well-known to everyone (for example, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Byron, and Longfellow), some probably were well-known in their day but forgotten now, and still others likely were obscure even in their own time. The poetry selections themselves range from serious verse to mere doggerel, though amusing doggerel.
The compiler plainly sympathized with the expansionist, building ethos of late nineteenth and early twentieth century America. Indeed, the first poem in the selection, "The Builders" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, explicitly celebrates that ethic. More modern poetry anthologies tend to lean toward other subject matters and disdain such notions as bourgeois. In this sense, 101 Famous Poems is a creature of its time, just as other anthologies reflect the eras in which they were compiled.
Most people, even serious readers, rarely read poetry. That is unfortunate, and this anthology is well worth the reader's time and attention.
The poems included are diverse and appear to reflect the compiler's personal tastes. Some of the poets are well-known to everyone (for example, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Byron, and Longfellow), some probably were well-known in their day but forgotten now, and still others likely were obscure even in their own time. The poetry selections themselves range from serious verse to mere doggerel, though amusing doggerel.
The compiler plainly sympathized with the expansionist, building ethos of late nineteenth and early twentieth century America. Indeed, the first poem in the selection, "The Builders" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, explicitly celebrates that ethic. More modern poetry anthologies tend to lean toward other subject matters and disdain such notions as bourgeois. In this sense, 101 Famous Poems is a creature of its time, just as other anthologies reflect the eras in which they were compiled.
Most people, even serious readers, rarely read poetry. That is unfortunate, and this anthology is well worth the reader's time and attention.
February 19, 2008
The date us when I first received a copy of this book and began reading it. I've been reading it ever since. While I've read several of the poems more times than I can count, I still haven't read all of them. I like to read, re-read and ponder a poem, so it's slow going.
What I really love about this collection is that the poems in it have a decidedly lyrical bent. I enjoy poems meant to be read out loud, with a cadence you can hear, and most of the poems in this book fit that description. Additionally, while I don't think a person's familiarity with poetry should end with this book, just because these are the "famous" ones, it's still a good place to start.
Favorite poems from this collection: "The Day is Done," "Thanatopsis," and "How Did you Die?"
Incidentally, a big debt to Daron Nelson for the gift of one of my favorite books.
What I really love about this collection is that the poems in it have a decidedly lyrical bent. I enjoy poems meant to be read out loud, with a cadence you can hear, and most of the poems in this book fit that description. Additionally, while I don't think a person's familiarity with poetry should end with this book, just because these are the "famous" ones, it's still a good place to start.
Favorite poems from this collection: "The Day is Done," "Thanatopsis," and "How Did you Die?"
Incidentally, a big debt to Daron Nelson for the gift of one of my favorite books.
January 17, 2016
Great collection of the classics from Tennyson to Dickinson to Kipling to Poe. It includes the Ten Commandments (not sure God intended to be a poet) and the Declaration of Independence (also not sure the Founding Fathers intended to be poets). It's fun to read a book that collected what was considered the best poetry of the time (the 1950s) while at the same time reading so much modern poetry.
My favorites from this collection include the following:
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Alfred Tennyson
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes by Francis William Bourdillon
I Have a Rendezvous with Death by Alan Seeger
In Flanders Fields by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
Grass by Carl Sandburg
Not In Vain by Emily Dickinson
If by Rudyard Kipling
Invictus by William Ernest Henley
The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
My favorites from this collection include the following:
The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Alfred Tennyson
The Night Has a Thousand Eyes by Francis William Bourdillon
I Have a Rendezvous with Death by Alan Seeger
In Flanders Fields by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
Grass by Carl Sandburg
Not In Vain by Emily Dickinson
If by Rudyard Kipling
Invictus by William Ernest Henley
The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt
October 14, 2009
This is a beautiful tome found in my late grandpa's house. I read it last night and the leather-bound volume has almost all the wonderful poems, with emphases on Alfred Lord Tennyson, Walt Whitman, Henry Wordsworth Longfellow, Edgar Allen Poe, Shakespeare and many others. Beautiful stuff.
The thing that touched me most, though, was that included in the greatest poetry were also the Gettysburg Address, the letter from Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby, Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty" speech, and the Declaration of Independence. To me, those pieces of history are some of the most beautiful words ever put to paper.
I cannot recommend this book enough--assuming you're even able to get your hands upon it...
The thing that touched me most, though, was that included in the greatest poetry were also the Gettysburg Address, the letter from Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby, Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty" speech, and the Declaration of Independence. To me, those pieces of history are some of the most beautiful words ever put to paper.
I cannot recommend this book enough--assuming you're even able to get your hands upon it...
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