The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry (Penguin Classics) [Mass Market Paperback]

George Walter (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: May 11, 2007

Unrivaled in its range and intensity, the poetry of World War I continues to have a powerful effect on readers. This newly edited anthology reflects the diverse experiences of those who lived through the war, bringing together the words of poets, soldiers, and civilians affected by the conflict. Here are famous verses by Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Owen; poetry by women writing from the home front; and the anonymous lyrics of soldiers' songs. Arranged thematically, the selections take the reader through the war's stages, from conscription to its aftermath, and offer a blend of voices that is both unique and profoundly moving.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George Walter is a lecturer in English at Sussex University and the editor of multiple volumes of Ivor Gurney's poetry.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (May 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141181907
• ISBN-13: 978-0141181905
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Book for Browsers Only, May 5, 2009

By 

MARSHALL DE BRUHL - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is, as its title says, a book of "First World War Poetry." Thus it includes anyone who simply wrote poetry during that time. So we have Robert Frost, Edith Sitwell, and Nancy Cunard, among others, whom I have never particularly associated with the Great War.

But a more irritating aspect of the book is its lack of a proper index of poets and a table of contents listing the poems by author. Thus one has to rummage around looking for a particular poet, whose name, for an equally mystifying reason, is not given until the end of the poem.

The Introduction by the editor, George Walter, is excellent, as is, for the most part, his choice of poems, with the obvious exceptions. But the layout of the book itself is exasperating, even irritating.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent anthology; excellent introduction, June 28, 2010

By 

kwh - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry (Penguin Classics) (Mass Market Paperback)

In contrast to the other two reviewers, I find the organization and format of this anthology to be quite sensible: 5 clearly identifiable thematic sections, brief biographies of all the poets in the anthology, with the poems in the anthology clearly listed by name as well as the original source from which the poem was drawn, and a combined index of poems by first line and title. The introduction and the notes are especially useful for college students being introduced to British Trench Poets. I spent quite a bit of time considering anthologies of British Trench Poetry for a college course and decided upon Walter's because of its organization, biographies, index, notes, and sourcing--and also because it included not only the best known pieces by the best known poets --Owen, Sassoon, Brooke, Rosenberg et al--but also lesser known works by poets rarely included in WWI poetry anthologies. Editors are forced to make choices, and I feel Walter made some excellent ones--my students, too, have no trouble using this book. This anthology so obviously does not attempt to include poets/poems from other countries, to criticize it for not doing so would be like criticizing an anthology of German WWI poetry for not having included British WWI poetry.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother with this - very poor formatting, March 30, 2010

By 

Iain Catto "catzeye22" (Scotland) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry (Penguin Classics) (Kindle Edition)

This is a complete letdown. The formatting is very broken with the numbers "10" and "20" appearing at random within the text. The lack of a proper index adds insult to injury. This mess of formatting should be free.