Poetry for a Lifetime: All-Time Favorite Poems to Delight and Inspire All Ages [Hardcover]

Samuel Norfleet Etheredge (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1999

A collection of more than 340 unforgettable poems, this book includes such well-known favorites as “The Night Before Christmas,” “The Bridge Builder,” “If,” “Paul Revere’s Ride,” “Old Ironsides,” and “O Captain! My Captain!” Selected for their rhyme, meter, and content, these poems tell stories, teach history, give advice, instill a reverence for nature, and inspire the mind. Comments are included with each poem, providing extra information or light anecdotes. Organized by theme with large text and illustrations, this book is easy to read and browse.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Highly recommended anthology Poetry For A Lifetime is an outstanding anthology of more than 340 well-known and unforgettable poems that everyone should know as part of our common literary heritage. An outstanding addition to any personal, school, or community library collection, Poetry For A Lifetime is a superb introduction to the wondrous world of poetry and presents simply wonderful reading for all ages. It is organized by themes, from "Nursery", "Youth and Home", through "Good Advice and Inspiration", and ending with "Looking Back". Poetry For A Lifetime is a superb and exhaustive compendium of old favorites and new treasures whose wide spectrum includes The Raven; The Cremation of Sam McGee; The Calf Path; O Captain! My Captain!; Casey at the Bat; The Bridge Builder; If; Paul Revere's Ride; Annabel Lee; and Old Ironsides. Most of the poems are enhanced for the reader with illustrations and Samuel Etheredge's comments. Anyone wanting to share their love of poetry and introduce their family or friends to the fun and magic of poetry need search no further than Poetry For A Lifetime. Highly recommended. -- Jim Cox, Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

Winner of the National Publishers Freedom Award for Best Self-Published Poetry book of 1999.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 488 pages
• Publisher: MiraVista Press (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966580400
• ISBN-13: 978-0966580402
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A valuable addition to any library, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Poetry for a Lifetime: All-Time Favorite Poems to Delight and Inspire All Ages (Hardcover)

Just holding and leafing through this book is a pleasure for any bibliophile, and for any lover of poetry. From the dustjacket, which uses Maxfield Parrish's Riverbank in Autumn, to the rich, heavy paper, the endpapers, the line drawings, the elegant typography, the book's design promises an exquisite journey through the world of poetry. That promise is fulfilled, as is the promise that this book contains "poetry for a lifetime."

Organized topically, each poem is introduced by a few lines of commentary from the editor. These commentaries are what make the book stand out, as they give readers the feeling that we're sitting with a favorite uncle, reading poetry together by the fireside. The editor, a retired Navy doctor, writes in his dedication, "When I discovered that my grandkids had not even heard of Casey at the Bat or The Wreck of the Hesperus, I felt that I would surely like to do something about it." Do something about it he did, reviewing thousands of poems and selecting ones that he felt best express: "Music is the Poetry of Expression. Poetry is the Music of Literature.

This book is a valuable addition to any library, a browser's delight, a parent's essential out-loud reading (and not just the nursery rhymes), a student's companion, an outstanding gift to a favorite teacher, friend, spouse or loved one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my most precious books, October 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Poetry for a Lifetime: All-Time Favorite Poems to Delight and Inspire All Ages (Hardcover)

Recently purchased your Poetry for a Lifetime, and I just wanted to tell you that it is one of the most precious books that I have ever chosen. What a delightful selection of some of the most beautiful, unique, and delightful poetry collected in one edition. I, too, have always enjoyed picking up a book of poetry to read and this is one that I shall certainly enjoy and cherish over and over.....I intend to share it with anyone who will listen to me. God bless you for the love, time and effort that you put into this lovely book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wins Best Poetry Book Award for 1999, April 26, 2000

By 

Bob "poetry2" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poetry for a Lifetime: All-Time Favorite Poems to Delight and Inspire All Ages (Hardcover)

Poetry for a Lifetime just won the National Publishers Freedom Award for best self-published poetry book of 1999. "The Editor has loved poetry since childhood but found that today's kids, including his own grandchildren, have not even heard of 'oldies' like Paul Revere's Ride or Casey at the Bat. Thus he has created a beautiful book of favorites from nursery rhymes to adult advice, not from Byron, Keats, and Shelly, but from the stories that we all enjoy hearing and should be passed on to future generations."