The Best of Ogden Nash [Hardcover]

Linell Nash Smith (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2007

It's been more than thirty years since the appearance of a collection from America's laureate of light verse. Ogden Nash first gathered together an anthology of thirty years of his published works in 1959. In 1973 his daughters gathered more than four hundred of his poems and called it I Wouldn't Have Missed It, a quote from one of his verses. Now more poems have come to light, so his daughters have once again produced The Best of Ogden Nash, the definitive Nash anthology. The poems display the talent of the man whose verse entranced America from the time of the Great Depression until his death in 1971. The Best of Ogden Nash should delight old fans and introduce new readers to a unique talent.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[An] affectionate look at Nash's life....Richly detailed with excerpts from family correspondence. (Tri-City Herald )

As winter sets in and holidays are on the horizon, the warmth and cleverness of this anthology of 548 verses makes it a perfect gift - even for those who may be having a rift. (Elizabeth Taylor Chicago Tribune )

Even those of us inclined toward felines are captivated by Ogden Nash....Warmth and cleverness...makes it a perfect gift. (Elizabeth Taylor Chicago Tribune )

There was only one living poet in my mother's repertory-Ogden Nash. When she swatted some fly in the kitchen, she would intone with solemnity: 'God in his wisdom made the fly / And then forgot to tell us why.' Nash was an inveterate experimentalist...endlessly innovative in his versification and diction. His rhymes were not merely amusing but often revelatory....[His] legacy remains a vital part of twentieth-century American poetry. (Dana Gioia )

This bountiful new collection of The Best of Ogden Nash gathers not only the choicest and most beloved poems from his huge output but presents several previously unpublished pieces discovered among his papers and family correspondence. Classic or 'new,' Nash's humorous verses are a continual delight, as this volume will remind old admirers while regaling readers encountering him for the first time-and, given the current sad state of the world, not a moment too soon. (Joseph Parisi )

Clearly Ogden Nash is God's gift to the United States….Genuine comic talent is nearly priceless. Mr. Nash is our best literary comedian since Will Rogers. He has become, in a strictly Shakespearian sense, America's number one fool, though in any other sense he is nobody's fool.

He has become a social necessity…. I have only one criterion for judging authors: how many are there without whom I could not possibly have lived until now? Ogden Nash is one of them. (Christopher Morley Saturday Review Of Literature )

The reader will find himself completely captivated by rhyming of such unexpected originality that his only comment is hearty laughter. (Harpers )

An outstanding, rare collection of works essential for any definitive poetry library. (Midwest Book Review )

Open this book to any page and find guaranteed laughter. (Dr. Clif Cleaveland Chattanooga Free Press )

About the Author

Ogden Nash is the best-loved poet of light verse in the United States. His daughter, Linell Nash Smith, has compiled this new collection. Linell Nash Smith lives in Baltimore.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (November 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566637031
• ISBN-13: 978-1566637039
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A definitive Nash anthology, January 5, 2008

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best of Ogden Nash (Hardcover)

Over five hundred verses gathered from a wide collection of Nash's poems results in this, a definitive Nash anthology suitable not just for college-level poetry libraries, but for general-interest lending collections. While published works comprise the bulk of this anthology, some are lesser-known works which came to light in the Nash collection at the University of Texas at Austin, and from family letters and papers, making for an outstanding, rare collection of works essential for any definitive poetry library.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HUMOR, STYLE, SAGACITY, June 25, 2008

By 

Anthony Horowitz (MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best of Ogden Nash (Hardcover)

The writings of Ogden Nash have a unique rhythm and tempo. The humor, and style, coupled with subtle sagacity makes for a wonderful read, both aloud and to oneself. This should be required reading at all levels of education, so that students can see and hear what can really be done with words.
TONY HOROWITZ

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Poetry, March 16, 2009

By 

Richard R. Hays "Movie affectionado" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best of Ogden Nash (Hardcover)

I had encountered Nash's poetry some years back and had an LP of The Carnival of the Animals poem read by Noel Coward with his special enunciation of all the words. Since then, I have been searching for a printed copy and this book does it for me. Nash's menagerie of animals is fun.