The Giant Book of Poetry [Paperback]

William Roetzheim (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2006

The Giant Book of Poetry is an illustrated anthology of over 575 poems, more than 750 pages and over 60 illustrations representing ancient, classical, modern, and contemporary time periods along with a good selection of English translations of world poets. Footnotes include notes on form, definitions for unusual words, and hints on interpretation. The book includes an introduction by the editor and an appendix covering poetry meter, as well as indexes by author, title, subject, source language, and first line. The publisher is also releasing an audio CD version of the book and the book includes an index pointing from each poem to the corresponding audio CD and track, and an index pointing from each audio CD and track to the corresponding poem location in the book.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It belongs in the collection of every poetry lover. -- Mark Strand

The Giant Book of Poetry is bursting at the seams with . . . poems that people need to be reading. -- Billy Collins

The Giant Book of Poetry is the perfect introductory anthology for new poetry readers. -- Robert Kinsley

From the Back Cover

"An illustrated poetry anthology over 750 pages long for $29.95? Even first time poetry readers won’t be frightened off by this book." —David Budbill

"The Giant Book of Poetry is bursting at the seams with the kind of poems that people need to be reading." —Billy Collins

"When’s the last time someone released an affordable single volume anthology covering ancient, classical, modern, world, and contemporary poetry? The time is right for this book." —Mark Cox

"Part anthology, part textbook, The Giant Book of Poetry brings together a chorus of voices, from an anonymous poet writing in 4000 BC through poets of the 21st century. The book presents poems that are immediately accessible, at least in part, to a reader unused to poetry, as a way to encourage newcomers to the art. But an experienced reader will find much to enjoy here, browsing among the familiar (Shakespeare, Dickinson, Masters, Frost, Hughes, Collins), and the less so (Southey, Hood, Stetson, Lax, Schwartz). Giant, indeed, and with something for everyone, The Giant Book of Poetry is a wonderful resource." —Molly Fisk

"The Giant Book of Poetry is the perfect introductory anthology for new poetry readers." —Robert Kinsley

"This book is the result of a massive amount of love and work by its editor, William Roetzheim, and the result is a comprehensive collection of many of the most important poems and poets of all time. It belongs in the collection of every poetry lover." —Mark Strand

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Level 4 Press (February 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976800128
• ISBN-13: 978-0976800125
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Roetzheim is best known as the author of ten technical books on management, technology, and software along with over 150 technical articles. He founded two successful software companies (Marotz, Inc. and Cost Xpert Group, Inc.), winning numerous awards (Inc. 500, Deloitte and Touch Fast 50, Total Excellence in Management Award, Best Place to Work in San Diego, Borland Application of the Year, and many others). He sold both companies and retired from the world of technology to focus on his primary love, poetry. His poems have won numerous awards and recognition, including the Milford Fine Arts Council National Poetry Contest, Writers Challenge, Faulkner Society Poetry Award, Oberon Prize, Pagan Poetry Contest, Saturday Writers One Page Poetry Contest, and the Baltimore Science Fiction Convention Poetry Prize.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A major collection for home and study, March 7, 2006

By 

D. Y. (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Giant Book of Poetry (Paperback)

Five hundred and sixty poems give a very wide-ranging overview. Poems old and new include many standards and favorites, and are sure to introduce you to many new favorites as well. It certainly includes a lot of mine, such as Persimmons by Li-Young Lee.

The selection is sophisticated enough to be an introductory textbook, but also very accessible for the home, with plenty of aids such as notes on each poem, an explanation of meter, and something I wish a lot more anthologies had: a subject index.

If you're going to have one collection of poetry--or at least a first collection--this could be it.  And if you really want to relish it, the leather-bound edition does look tempting.
 
Additional note:  The publisher has also produced a set of CDs that include many of the poems from the book, read by a variety of voices. With matching cover designs, the book and CDs make a whole set for the budding poetry enthusiast.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Barb Radmore, February 24, 2007

By 

Front Street Reviews www.frontstreetreviews.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Giant Book of Poetry (Library Binding)

The feature that must be mentioned first is that this book is aptly named. It is truly a "giant book of poetry". At 640 pages it is packed solid with pure poetry in all its beautiful manifestations. They cover the work of poets born in time spanning time from around 4,000 BC to 1984. They were chosen with no specific criteria except that the editor liked the poem. Luckily for the reader William Roetzheim has widely varied tastes so there is something for everyone in this anthology.

The introduction of the book and the appendix are both devoted to educating the reader as to the type and role of poetic meter . Roetzheim is able to clearly explain the styles that make up the many types of poems included in his book. It is a well described education for anyone who is unfamiliar with the components of poetry and how they are used..

What sets this book aside from other poetry anthologies, besides sheer volume, is the editor's personal comments and asides in the form of footnotes. Each poem's form is noted and there is often other remarks as to vocabulary, meaning or even history of the poem. For instance his footnote to Robert Frost's "Good-by and Keep Cold" is "there is an underlying message of needing to trust faith after you have done everything you can to protect of prepare something (someone) that you love." He adheres to the common interpretations of meanings so that new scholars will be informed as to usual thoughts. Vocabulary definitions will be appropriate for younger readers.

Although he spent much of his pervious life as an owner of software companies and author of an extensive number of technical books and articles, Roetzheim retired to be a poet. His work can be found included in this edition. Anyone looking for a very comprehensive volume of classic poetry will find this to be the book they want. It is especially suitable as a first poetry book for both new devotees or students of the art.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 750-page anthology of some of the most important poems and poets of all time, March 2, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: The Giant Book of Poetry (Paperback)

Simple black-and-white illustrations add a rustic touch to The Giant Book Of Poetry, a 750-page anthology of some of the most important poems and poets of all time. Spanning an immense spread of authors, from an anonymous poet writing in 4000 BC to familiar names such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, and many more, The Giant Book Of Poetry is truly a moving compendium ideal for the library of any poetry lover. An extremely comprehensive index of the poems by title, subject, and first line allow for quick and easy lookup of a favorite verse. Jokun: Ah! I intended / never never to grow old... / Listen: New Year's Bell!