Customer Reviews

The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses

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I loved the movie "The Man From Snowy River" and knew it was based on the poetry of A.B. Paterson. I spent the last fifteen years looking for a book of his poems in every library and bookstore I entered. I never found one until now--what a find! The book has 129 poems, including the song "Waltzing Matilda". Many, like "The Man From Snowy River" are exciting. Some are funny ("Mulga Bill's Bicycle"), and some are sad and sentimental ("The Droving Days"). Most are about horses and cowboys, and they take place in Australia. I love this book--Banjo Paterson is a poet who has been ignored too long in the US, and I'm so thankful I found a copy on your site!

Andrew Barton Paterson (more commonly known as `Banjo' Paterson) is probably the loudest voice in late 19th century/early 20th century Australian literature, he certainly contributed more to Australian mythos than any other literary figure.

U.S. readers may recognise the title of this collection from the film which bears a more than passing (yet not terribly accurate) resemblance to Paterson's poem of the same name. Read the poem, it is stronger and the `Man' more mythic in Paterson's verse. You may also recognise "Waltzing Matilda" a poem later set to music that narrowly missed becoming Australia's anthem, certainly more Australians know the words to Waltzing Matilda than our official anthem, `Advance Australia Fair.'

Yet Paterson is more than this. The comedic "Mulga Bill's Bicycle' is perhaps as well known to Australians. The tale of the proud and arrogant Mulga Bill who claims "none can ride like me" and "I'll ride this here two-wheeled concern right straight away at sight." rolls on in an inevitable but rollicking and funny way.

His `Clancy of the Overflow' perfectly captures the Australian mood of living in the city yet eternally drawn to our wide brown land. It's final paragraph sums it superbly.

And I somehow rather fancy that I'd like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,
While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal --
But I doubt he'd suit the office, Clancy, of The Overflow.

I always enjoy reading his verse. It is easily read, quite short and many of them marvelously humourous.

To conclude Paterson is a strongly and uniquely Australian poetic voice. This collection has the best of his verse. I'd recommend it to all who have ever enjoyed one of his verses and to all who might enjoy some simply constructed but strongly evocative Australian poetry. Even fairly young readers would enjoy a lot of the poems in this collection.

This is a lousy edition by some New York bandit publisher, pages misaligned, uneven print; contains many of the soppy poems and not all the better ones. Better off looking for an older, used edition.