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Immortal Poems of the English Language Mass Market Paperback – August 3, 1983

by Oscar Williams (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 186 ratings
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A timeless and comprehensive anthology of enduring English language poetry, featuring entries from 150 British and American poets, including Alexander Pope, Lord Byron, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Emily Dickinson.

The last six hundred years in British and American literature have given us some of the most moving and memorable poems in all literature. Now, discover many of these same works in one gorgeously wrought collection, featuring entries from poets as legendary and beloved as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, John Keats, Rudyard Kipling, Ralph Waldo Emerson, D.H. Lawrence, and many more.

From Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberywocky” to Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and from Shakespeare’s sonnets to anonymous classics, this is the ultimate gift for poetry lovers of all ages and backgrounds. Arranged chronologically, the 150 poems featured in this stunning collection reflect the immortality of the poetic soul.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    624 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Pocket Books
  4. Publication date
    August 3, 1983
  5. Dimensions
    4.19 x 1.4 x 6.75 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0671496107
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0671496104
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Oscar Williams (1900–1964), editor of this book, was a distinguished poet. The author of five books of poetry, including That's All That Matters and Selected Poems, he achieved literary distinction not only as a highly original and vigorous American poet, but also as one of the great poetry anthologists of his time.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pocket Books; Reprint edition (August 3, 1983)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0671496107
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0671496104
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.5 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.19 x 1.4 x 6.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 186 ratings

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Oscar Williams

Oscar Williams

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
186 global ratings
Amazon should be ashamed, horrible
1 Star
Amazon should be ashamed, horrible
I was anticipating this book. I have the soft cover and thought it would be nice to have a library binding. But this is not the original book with a library binding. This is a very poorly printed (looks like smudged photocopy), unevenly cut and pretty much unusable book. For a company that started as a bookstore, they should be ashamed of themselves. Totally disappointed.
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Top reviews from the United States

Real Girl
5.0 out of 5 stars An indispensable beloved anthology
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2024
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This new edition of this great anthology will help enormously to preserve it. As I once more leaf through it i am astonished at how many of these poems are familiar; how many one unconsciously knows almost by heart. The original is in tatters in every home lucky enough to have acquired a copy. I wish it were also available on KINDLE so it could always fit in your pocket ready to enliven your spirit wherever you are.
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David MacDougall
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a wonderful book of poetry
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2023
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I adore this book and have given it to friends several times. Each poem is a gem. If you, like me, are not a poetry expert, then this book gives you a wonderful introduction. You will not find such a mix of poems, from different centuries, in other collections. I highly recommend.
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David Hawthorne
5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection. Has every famous poem you've heard of.
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2023
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Have so many pages dog-eared and/or bookmarked because this book has dozens of popular, famous poems. Love the author, first line, title index in the back. easy to find poems.
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pinks
4.0 out of 5 stars Something Different
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2023
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Paper quality is okay, do not have knowledge to read and understand the book and this is on me.
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Userdoe1560
3.0 out of 5 stars Great collection of poems, edition is so-so
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
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I bought this copy to replace a paperback reprint from the 1970s that I had picked up and wore out from use over the years.

This edition is nowhere near as portable because the paper is thick, so it's heavy. There's also a ton of wasted space on the page, with wide margins and space between the poems. The font is also a bit taxing on the eyes, tightly packed together with cumbersome serifs. So an acceptable copy for the desk or nightstand, but not something to treasure that you'll be proudly displaying on your bookshelf or taking in your bag everywhere you go.

Although the selection of poems is great, be aware this anthology is already quite old, so you'll be missing many of the great poets from the mid 20th century on. And and it's definitely lacking WBIPOC voices.
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Reid M. Callister
5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection.
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021
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If you love good poetry, you will love this book. It covers a wide range of timeless poetry. I have found numerous poems in this book that are worth memorizing. Only one little critique, it is clear Oscar does not enjoy the poetry of Longfellow. I do. He is not at all well-represented in this book. But so many other great poets are. Such as Shakespeare, Thomas, Burns, Swinburne, etc. Another great thing I just love about this anthology is that it is in chronological order. From the early poets to the most contemporary.
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MTFatBoy
5.0 out of 5 stars The best poetry anthology I have found
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2013
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There is a school of thought in literary criticism (called "reader response") that the reader should not ingest preconceptions about a literary work through others' critiques and interpretations, or any particular editor's perspectives on authorial intent or historical context before reading a work, but should engage the work itself and interpret for one's self. This anthology provides responsive readers with just the text--providing students and teachers alike with a vast trove of verse, and empowering teacher and reader alike to seek whatever extraneous information she or he feels necessary. I have not found a more satisfying or comprehensive assortment of authors and titles collected in one volume. My only criticism is that selections sometimes seem to appeal more to the editor's aesthetic sense than to faithful representation of a poet's style. A work most characteristic of Emily Dickinson, for example, would be a few intensely compact lines of free verse, while the selections Oscar Williams chose for this anthology are typically a dozen lines or so with fairly regular meter and rhyme scheme. Intense study into any one poet would require looking into other sources. As a pocket-sized, broad collection of English poetry, this is as good as it gets.
9 people found this helpful
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Wayne Kraus
5.0 out of 5 stars panorama of poetry
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020
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I just bought a new copy of this book because I wore out the old one. Every major poet is represented here, and just as importantly, we meet a lot of great poets who most of us have never heard of. I have made a lot of joyous discoveries in this collection. Coleridge, for example, was only a name to me before I opened this volume and read "Rime of the Ancient Mariner." It was also here that I discovered Chaucer - now what would life be without Chaucer? I don't have much education, but whoever reads this book through has the equivalent of a Lit degree.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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vt
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in India on December 8, 2018
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Beautiful collection of poems
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Utente
5.0 out of 5 stars Meraviglioso
Reviewed in Italy on December 29, 2016
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Meraviglioso, davvero meraviglioso.

Ho ordinato questo libro in quanto appassionata di Letteratura inglese e studiosa della materia. Raccoglie al suo interno i maggiori e più famosi, oltre che apprezzabili, componimenti poetici della storia della letteratura inglese.

Lo consiglio vivamente, anche come regalo, agli appassionati e amanti della materia, veramente ben fatto.

La spedizione e l'imballaggio sempre ottimi: merito di Amazon chiaramente.
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jean gerard simard
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 31, 2014
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i had this book 3 times ad gavethem to friends
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Jyoti Prakash Chakrabarti
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on May 8, 2018
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A very standard anthology.
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Alex
4.0 out of 5 stars Love the poems, worried about the binding
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2017
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I lost my first copy of this book about a year ago and bought this one as a replacement. This anthology is what got me into poetry and remains one of my favourite poetry books a decade later; I cannot recommend it enough. That said, the glue binding feels a little delicate, so if you know yourself to be a rough user or want something to get your kids interested in poetry, look for the library binding.
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