Palgrave's Golden Treasury [Paperback]

Francis Turner Palgrave (Editor), John Press (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 12, 2002

Palgrave's Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language is probably the most famous poetry anthology ever compiled. Originally published in 1861, it quickly established itself as the most popular selection of English poems. Today it stands as a testament to the richness of our finest native poetic writing from Spenser, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth, to Tennyson, Yeats, Eliot, and Betjeman.
This edition includes a sixth book, prepared by John Press, which covers the post-war years, showing that the lyrical tradition remains strong. Over ninety poets are included, from Dylan Thomas, George Mackay Brown, Ted Hughes, and Philip Larkin to Carol Ann Duffy, Elizabeth Garrett and Simon Armitage.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Press served with the British Council overseas for many years, and was Visiting Professor at University of Paris. He has published numerous collections of verse translations.

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 6 edition (December 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192803697
• ISBN-13: 978-0192803696
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,006,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Finest English Lyrical Poetry - Highly Recommended, April 14, 2003

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Palgrave's Golden Treasury (Paperback)

English lyrical poetry is among the world's finest poetry. Many years ago Francis Turner Palgrave, a professor of poetry at Oxford, compiled a highly respected anthology of English lyrical poetry.

I clearly recall my excitement in my first reading of Palgrave's collection. I have since become familiar with several other good anthologies, but Palgrave's remains my favorite.

Palgrave's remarkable anthology of English lyrical poetry is found with various titles: "The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language", or "Palgrave's Golden Treasury from Shakespeare to the Present", or "Palgrave's Golden Treasury", or simply "The Golden Treasury". Sometimes one title is found on the book cover and another on the title page.

Palgrave's "The Golden Treasury" has remained continuously in print since 1861, with Oxford University Press editions in 1907, 1909, 1929, 1940, 1964 (Section V added), and 1994 (Section V1 added). New printings occur every few years.

Today this remarkable anthology is now nearly 700 pages. The font size is large and easy to read.

Palgrave's somewhat sparse footnotes are only available for Sections I-IV. Many readers may need a good dictionary for occasional archaic words and unfamiliar references to Greek and Roman mythology. I have found it quite helpful and entertaining to have a copy of Bulfinch's The Age of Fable nearby. Whichever edition and printing that you acquire, I hope you enjoy Palgrave's selections as much as I did. Cheers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff, October 18, 2011

By 

Kathryn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Palgrave's Golden Treasury (Paperback)

There's lots of good stuff in this book. It's very sturdy and has a poem for every mood.

But sometimes, it felt like it was missing some of the classic poems I was looking for, but I'm not a hardcore English or poetry studier. Maybe it was okay that it was like that.

I positively loved the original sections that Palgrave chose, which are in the beginning, rather than the more modern poems.

I liked it. I recommend it as a good starting poetry anthology. =)