The Oxford Book of American Poetry

I was looking for a comprehensive collection of American poetry and found it. This is an excellent example.

I have this bad habit of buying anthologies of poetry, though I have many favorite poets. This time, I almost made it to the checkout with the collected works of Robert Frost when I stumbled upon this amazing gem. This is the most complete anthology of American poets I have yet to see. I would dare say even, "definitive". I paid full price for it (fool that I am) and don't regret it one bit. This volume is priceless.

If you love poetry, one book will never satisfy your hunger or lifelong search for poem perfection. Each book offers a unique perspective and The Oxford Book of American Poetry seeks to present an American viewpoint with over 200 poets revealing their most intimate thoughts. The poems warmly present insights into the viewpoint of the poets as they comment on cultural norms or decry conditions of their times. The first poems seem to set a tradition of extensive stories to blend observations in nature with descriptions of insights into moments. Poems like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Bridge" have a soft beauty and thoughtful reflective quality. "To One in Paradise" by Edgar Allen Poe is stunning and revelatory in its romantic appeal. "The Raven" and "Annabel Lee" also appear. Many of the poems retain a historical significance and present a record of the emotions felt by those viewing the birth of new freedoms. The delicious culinary poem about "Hasty-Pudding" was a sweet surprise. "I am the poet of the body, And I am the poet of the soul." ~Walt Whitman I will say that I became entranced by Walt Whitman's enthusiastic portrayal of life and his poems are an especially luminous moment that spans across many pages, which are needed because The Song of Myself (1855 edition) is included and takes up 48 pages! His soul seems to dance between moments as if infusing all he observes with an expansive optimism steeped in appreciation for all that he experiences. I loved these lines from "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd:" "Lilac and star and bird twined with the chant of my soul, There in the fragrant pines and cedars dusk and dim." While most of the first 100 or so pages were completely new to me, hope dawned as I started to discover familiar favorites like "Wild Nights" by Emily Dickinson. "The Road Not Taken" appeared along the way and "This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams reveals beautiful images of cool plums from an icebox . My favorite poem by Elinor Wylie did not make it into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by "The Puritan's Ballad" which is very sensual: "Within his arms I feared to sink Where lions shook their manes, And dragons drawn in azure ink Leapt quickened by his veins." If you crave the sensuality of language and longing, there is much to enjoy. While most of the poems do not focus on romantic longings, there are quite a few sensual poems. Denise Levertov explores male longing in his poem: "The Mutes" where he presents a striking reality. "Swan and Shadow" by John Hollander is actually shaped like a swan on a lake with its reflection and was a lovely visual surprise. Billy Collins' "Introduction to Poetry" appears along with "Shoveling Snow with Buddha" and "Dharma." Rachel Hadas presents cool crisp images in "Riverside Park:" "...strolling lovers vanish in the glare flung from the river by the westering sun. I can hardly claim to be alone. Nevertheless, of all whom autumn's new russet bro

The Oxford Book of American Poetry has always been the best collection of American poetry, even when it hadn't been updated for decades. It was the standard text at UC Berkeley in my poetry classes taught by Prof. Robert Hass, a remarkable man and a brilliant teacher, who now has the distinctions not only of having been named America's Poet Laureate, but also of having been included in this latest edition. The Oxford Press has one again put out a volume without equal.