English Poetry II: Collins to Fitzgerald: The Five Foot Shelf of Classics, Vol. XLI

by Charles William Eliot (Editor)

Originally published between 1909 and 1917 under the name "Harvard Classics," this stupendous 51-volume set-a collection of the greatest writings from literature, philosophy, history, and mythology-was assembled by American academic CHARLES WILLIAM ELIOT (1834-1926), Harvard University's longest-serving president. Also known as "Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf," it represented Eliot's belief that a basic liberal education could be gleaned by reading from an anthology of works that could fit on five feet of bookshelf. Volume XLI is the second of three volumes that ambitiously survey half a milliennium of poetry in the English language. More than 300 works by 60 authors in this volume alone span the 18th and 19th centuries, and - George "The Dying Man in His Garden" - Alison Rutherford "The Flowers of the Forest" - Henry "A Hunting Song" - Oliver "The Traveller; or, A Prospect of Society" - Richard Brinsley "Drinking Song" - Carolina Oliphant, Lady "The Auld House" - William "The Tiger" - William "Nature and the Poet" - Samuel Taylor "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" - Sir Walter "To a Lock of Hair" - Thomas "The Soldier's Dream" - George Gordon, Lord "She Walks in Beauty" - Percy Bysshe "To a Skylark" - John "Ode on a Grecian Urn" - Elizabeth Barrett "Sonnets" - and much more.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Poetry Plays

518 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Charles William Eliot was an American academic who was selected as Harvard's president in 1869. He transformed the provincial college into the preeminent American research university. Eliot served the longest term as president in the university's history.

Reviews

[Merc]

If I were going to submerge myself in poetry, I wouldn't dive deep into this book. A couple things caught my attention but many were misses for me. I will say that the first one I read was my favorite of. How'd I bump into gold within this mine? Just picked out the title I liked the most.

[Bumbles]

Note: This book is not nearly 1000 pages. For some reason, the Harvard classics poetry collection continues the page count from the preceding volume. Each volume is roughly 400 or so pages.
Favorites:
1. The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk - William Cowper
2. The Castaway - William Cowper
3. Tomorrow - John Collins
4. The Scholar - Robert Southey
5. The River of Life - Thomas Campbell
6. Elegy - Lord Byron
7. Ode to a Nightingale - John Keats
8. The Terror of Death - John Keats
9. Ode to Autumn - John Keats
10. La Belle Damn Sans Merci - John Keats
11. Bright Star - John Keats
12. The Past and the Present - Thomas Hood
13. When Lovely Women Stoops - Oliver Goldsmith

[Ixby Wuff]

Compiled and Edited by Charles W. Eliot LL D in 1909, the Harvard Classics is a 51-volume Anthology of classic literature from throughout the history of western civilization. The set is sometimes called "Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf."

Volume 41 is the second of three dedicated to English poets and they are presented chronologically. This volume starts with William Collins (1721 - 1759) and ends with Edward FitzGerald (1809 - 1883).

[Kristian]

Slowly making my way through this book.