Poetry Books

This is an excellent book for learning about the rainforest. I used this book in a special education summer school program during our rainforest unit. The book piggy-backs the song "The green grass grew all around"- and is easy to sing along with. There is information in the back of the book that increases understanding of animals and plants for older learners. Additionally, there is a rainforest cookie recipe at the back of the book that is delicious!

I saw the artist Connie McLennan's work online and heard about this book from her website. It is a beautiful book! The writing is perfect for a beginning reader as well. It's a nice story.

I bought it for my granddaughter who is a budding artist- I thought she would love the pictures as much as I do!

Susan K Mitchel has written a wonderful book about the rain forest that is suitable for many different age groups. Younger children will love the familiarity of the text, more advanced readers will enjoy reading the sidebars full of interesting facts about the rain forest. Everyone young and old will enjoy the beautiful illustrations. A very appealing read! A great choice for the elementary classroom.

Beautifully written by Susan K. Mitchell and superbly illustrated by Connie McLennan, "The Rainforest Grew All Around" is an ideal introduction to rainforest ecology and eco-systems for elementary school and middle school students. Young readers will learn amazing facts about a variety of animals and plants native to rainforest habitats. Kids will enjoy looking for rainforest bugs and butterflies nicely embedded in the detailed and complex illustrations. The text is enriched by the inclusion of 'Animal Sidebar Fun Facts' and 'Plant Sidebar Fun Facts'. Kids will learn abut rainforest animal adaptations, plant adaptations, seed dispersal, as well as what can be obtained from rain forests. There is even a rainforest cookie recipe! A special note for parents and teachers is the Sylvan Dell Publishing website's learning links and teaching activities associated with utilizing "The Rainforest Grew All Around" as an educational resource. As fun as it is informative, "The Rainforest Grew All Around" is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to family, school, and community library Nature Studies and picturebook collections.

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

Ron Rash's Raising the Dead focuses on the theme of loss, both on a personal and on a community wide scale. The poems read like chapters within a longer work of fiction, telling the story of the Jocassee Valley community which is set to be flooded by the power company. These poems deal with the land itself, the connection of the people to their homes, and with the horrible situation of having to "raise the dead" from their original graves to relocate them before the valley is completely flooded. These poems are haunting and wonderfully written, but the most powerful poems in the collection deal with Rash's own personal grief over the death of his cousin. These bittersweet poems simultaneously reminisce about carefree days spent with his cousin and mourn his loss. I am sure that everyone who reads this collection will find at least one poem they cannot forget; for me, that poem is "The Debt." My first reading of this poem brought me to tears, and I am still haunted by the imagery and emotion bound within its slight 20-line frame. Focusing on Rash's aunt and uncle as they select the coffin for their son's funeral, this poem chronicles the sacrifices parents make for their children. One of the most heartbreaking things anyone can imagine is the death of a child, and the willingness of this couple to break their backs in their fields for years to pay for the best possible coffin for their son is an amazing testimony to love which knows no bounds. Rash is an amazing author, whether he is writing fiction or poetry. His ability to focus on complex emotions within the tight confines of his favored seven-syllable line poetry makes him a true master of his craft. Although largely defined as an Appalachian author, this collection of Rash's poetry speaks to everyone who has experienced loss and is truly a treasure of modern poetry.

Ron Rash crafts his work carefully, and a tight, lyric rhythm is the result. Each poem is a masterpiece and rings with honesty and clarity. Because he is a poet, Rash's prose also rings with a rhythmic lilt. He is a fantastic writer, whatever genre of his you choose to read. Gathering Stones

Ron Rash is an up-and-coming Southern writer. Content and language captures the South of today and yesterday. Quick reading with both the humorous and serious mixed in such a fashion that the reader wants to get to the next page, the next scenerio, the outcome. I have several of his works and they are all terrific.

Raising the Dead, Ron Rash

This book, both inside and out, is a work of art, equal to and even surpassing the others Iris has done. I opened it as soon as it arrived, knowing Ron Rash and Iris and knowing that this would be a once-in-a lifetime experience, and it was--and is.
To begin with, the book is physically beautiful, the cover design an invitation, even an enticement into the poems themselves. After reading the poems, one is drawn back to the cover, realizing the profound implications of the photo. Even the colors chosen complement the content of the book.
Ron's poems are so provocative and so keenly crafted that one reading is never enough. The images are so strong that they take the reader by the throat and heart right through the experience and emotion of the poem, and then the image echoes like a song repeating and repeating itself both awake and in dreams. I will never get over "Under Jocassee" and "Whippoorwill" and "Speckled Trout" and "Brightleaf" and "At Reid Hartley's Junkyard" and ....
Ron's poems are so moving that one can read only one or two poems at a time. Almost every piece is so rich with implication and surprise that it's like reading a powerful short story, like having lightning strike right in your own backyard.
I will be using many of the poems in Raising the Dead not only in poetry workshops as examples of the BEST in contemporary poetry but also in my bereavement counseling and medical ethics group sessions.
Wow! What a treasure!
In short, this book not only enriches but deeply affects--changes--the reader's life. What more could a poet or a publisher or a reader desire?

In RAISING THE DEAD, Ron Rash not only raises the bar for himself but also for anyone else that chooses to write Appalachain-based verse. As in AMONG THE BELIEVERS, this poet demonstrates an uncanny ability to create rhythmic short lines (seven syllables).

Rash closes a poem as well as anyone writing today. As a result, the ghosts in these poems, of the Jocassee Valley and its aqua-burial and of the revisited ancestors and historical figures will haunt the reader beyond the pages of the book.

Finally, what sets Rash apart from many of his contemporaries is his ability to recognize and to develop valid poetic topics. There is nothing superficial, superfluous, or forced in the pages of this volume. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Well, probably `Ralph's Universe' by Th. Trkstar resembles a mini Imax of the mind with a soliloquy of reflection , fun , Imagination and resolution towards World order. Say what ? ...but anyway you get the idea . With my frequency of reading and viewing the content over moments in Time it reminds me of Aikido which is a form of self control , discipline , and ongoing shared improvement with others.~ Day to day conflict regarded as OPPORTUNITY ~ these chances can be anything ~ a live action puzzle to work on and solve.

( * Ai ~ harmony Ki ~ energy Do ~ the way *)

Our World leadership would do well to practice these endeavors as a sharpening stone for Future Human benefits as well. Helpful to Al Gore and the planet too!
I enjoy the book and wish everyone the Rainbows that I see in it! ...and a smile.

The poetry and drawings in Ralph's Universe are poignant Gestalt moments. In an ellipse, one does not see individual dots but a dotted line. The same is true with the striking insights that the reader is left with at the end of the Trkstar's concise poetic pauses. Visually and intellectually, the reader experiences "Pragnanz"--refreshing precision in a feeling! It's a fun read and wonderful energy!!!

If you are looking for a book that will leave you with a smile, this is it. It has beautiful artwork and poetry that will cheer you up in a heartbeat.

Ralph's Universe is an intriguing compilation of poetry and artwork that encapsulates the duality of existence. The artwork is complex yet captures a childlike whimsy. The poetry is playfully insightful and reflects deep wisdom.

Short and easy read that stimulates the mind. The artwork is amazing with the new explosive colors. The new smaller version of the book makes is great for anywhere you'd like to read. It doesn't feel like Ralph's universe alone, I was sucked right in and made it my own. I hope Th. Trkstar keeps making captivating reads.

I was on an Irish chat line and met up with the author, Gayle Stowe. She wasn't using her own name but somewhere in all of the conversations I saw her mention she was an author. Since I would like to write also I asked her if she would talk privately to me and she said, yes. We talked and immediately afterwards I ordered her book from Amazon.com. I and my mother are so delighted with her book of poems. After reading several poems,my mum said, "Haven't had a wonderfuly cry like that for a long time." For me, I discovered there are so many things I have to learn about life, death, pain and love. There is so much to experience that it makes my head swim. I don't know if I want to repeat all of the feeling Ms. Stowe has felt, but I hope I learn to love and appreciate life like she has.

I'm just 18 and I have been wondering about love. Not having been in love I'm very curious as to what I have to look forward to or shy away from I was browsing your books of poetry and choose this one because of the price. Boy, am I glad I did! I know about love now. Happiness, pain, and so much more. I feel that because of this book I will be able to relate to any young woman I meet and be able to recognize what she may be going thru. I sure do thank this author for writing these poems. I'm going to recommend this book of poetry to other young men in my position. Thank you very much.

I was visiting a friend in Co.Cork and saw this book. He loaned it to me for the trip home. Now, I must have my own copy.

I titled my review, "A Walk Together" for I felt the presence of the author next to me as I read. It was as if we were experiencing these thoughts and emotions at the same time. On arriving home I reread the poems, and have done so on many occassions. I don't believe I have ever put the book down without feeling like I had had a draining or exhilerating experience. No matter which, the feeling of being alive to the deepest part of me is always there.

I was visiting a friend in Co.Cork and saw this book. He loaned it to for the trip home. Now, I must have my own copy.

I titled my review, "A Walk Together" for I felt the presence of the author next to me as I read. It was as if we were experiencing these thoughts and emotions at the same time. On arriving home I reread the poems, and have done so on many occassions. I don't believe I have ever put the book down without feeling like I had had a draining or exhilerating experience. No matter which, the feeling of being alive to the deepest part of me is always there.

Any woman or man who has ever loved will appreciate and understand the author's poetry. She transports the reader through all realms of the mind and soul, giving permission to experience sadness, excitement and elation. Her work is compelling.

This book of poems is really the best book of poems I have ever read!!! The introduction to this book is very touching but the poem "The Raven" took my breath away! I couldn't believe that such a poem can make me feel this way!!!

With the emphasis so much on his horror writing, the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe is often overlooked. Which is unfortunate, his poetry has many classic lines, and there is no segment better than the opening line of "The Raven."

"One upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,"

The following poems appear in this collection, The Raven, Annabel Lee, Lines on Ale, The City in the Sea, The Sleeper, Eldorado, Alone, The Haunted Place and The Conquerer Worm.
While some traditionalists may decry the "Classics Illustrated" approach to poetry, I have little time for those arguments. Poe is best when served up illustrated, and the illustrations in this book are excellent. My favorites are the caricatures of Poe in his study that accompany `The Raven." The big eyes and oversized cranium give him the appearance of dark despair. In my opinion, anything that presents the classics in a format that will appeal to young people is to be encouraged, which is why I recommend this book.

...while I pondered weak and weary over many a quant and curious volume of forgotten lore..."
Who can't pass up the mystique and somber terror of one Poe's poems? Don't deny yourself this chance at book full of great literature. Poe might have had a troubled life but his life's work was, and still is, incredible.

Many reknown Literary Critics who live in "Intellectual Ivory Towers" consider this collection of poems to be a so called "Classic". I however tend to disagree with them and unless I woke up in Russia or Communist China this morning I believe I have every right to exercise my Freedom Of Speech. My least favourite poem in this book would have to be "The Raven". Perhaps one can understand the erratic meter of this poem when one learns that it was written in one hour in a cocaine induced frenzy. Sadly Writing and Substance Abuse are not a good combination. I give this book 5 stars because so many people are under the impression that Edgar Allen Poe was a genius instead of a drug addled illicit substance abuser.

This is one of the many poems by Edgar Allan Poe. It is a very good poem but at first I didn't really understand it. It took awhile before I fully understood it even after I had been told the main idea. In this poem raven represents death. What I believe that that the man in this poem is going to die and death is tapping at his door. This poem uses lots of figurative speech and it makes it sound very pretty. Such as "Prophet!,' said I, 'Thing of evil! Prophet still if bird or devil! Whether Tempter sent or tossed thee here ashore, Desolate ye tall undaunted, On this home by horror haunted-tell me truly, I implore- Is there balm in Gilead?- tell me- tell me I implore!' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore." It would be a good idea to read The Raven.

From the editor of the Hoppin Readin Review on Blogspot

This book is delicious!A favorite recipe.A dash of this, a pinch of that.
The right ingredients to make it smooth,perfect and tasteful with just the right consistency and texture to reel in the reader.
It's not just a keeper, but a treasure.
I will not lend my copy,but instead purchase copies for any gift occasion that may arise.
Life lessons for newly weds,memories to celebrate any and every event lie with-in these pages.
All of the characters have become good friends and family.
Dave Adams is one of the greats and in my opinion this book gets the highest rating possible.
Jan Coulbourne

Dave Adams' book "The Reason for the Rhyme A Matter of Time," is the most beautiful poetry book I have ever read in every way. Each poem is a treasure and the reader gets a rare glimpse into the story behind each poem in the book and what led to its creation. This is what makes this book so special, not to mention the rare beauty of the poems themselves. The poetry in this book touched me on many levels. These poems are magical, moving and awe-inspiring and you will want to share this book with everyone you know.
This book was clearly a work of love for the author and gives you a special glimpse into a man who has had the richest of lives and wants nothing more than to be able to pass the joy of his experiences onto others. I give it a 5-star review!

Dave Adams has given those of us who are not poets and, who often cannot understand it, a wonderful book as he explains the meaning of each poem with a story. So often poets do this when before an audiance, but few think to include it in their book of poems. Adams shares some emotional times with the reader describing how rhymes have been therpeudic for him throughout his life. A terrific read!

This book of poetry and the reason behind the poetry is so very interesting and down to Earth. I was able to idinfy with many of the stories. I found a time to both laugh and cry as I read through the book. You can open the book on any page and start reading. It's a great book and could be used as a text book for poetry classes.
David F. Crowther

The Reason for the Rhyme A Matter of Time: Poetry & Short Stories: A Collection, Volume 1This book of poetry has touched me deeply. I savored each and every story and thoroughly enjoyed reading the background on how each poem came to be written. It opened my eyes to so many things and helped me to understand that some feelings are truly universal. It's become my own personal treasure trove of emotions, experiences and points of view and I will read it over many times.

I love the way the poems in this book tell stories but then take you beyond the stories. The stories are just the first layer--behind them the strange echoes the words cast back on each other create a kind of glittering city-scape of the soul. I'm not sure I feel safe there, any more than I always feel safe in my own mind, but there's no end of places to explore--and I trust Lois Roma-Deeley as a guide. Over and over in this book, just as you encounter a beautiful land of the fantastic, you find your feet on the concrete of a truth you've been waiting much too long to hear. I'm so grateful for this voice in the wilderness--Write more! Write more!

After reading--and then hearing--Lois Roma-Deeley's poems from Rules of Hunger, I was amazed at how much this poet's work spoke about my own experiences. Further, the musicality of her language was pure joy. At a reading for the November 2004 Chicago Humanities Festival, where more than 100 people attended a panel presentation by national poets and artists, Roma-Deeley touched me with the depth and truth of her words, and mesmerized the audience with her dramatic yet honest performance. If you need poetry that you can return to again and again for both pleasure and meaning, buy this book.

Lois Roma-Deeley's first collection will make you hungry--for food (sausage, baked ziti, lobster bisque); for the past (dead relatives, lost friends, childhood memories); for love (both good and bad, won and lost); and for the entire sensuous world. Roma-Deeley serves up her poems with the master chef's attention to detail, as, for example, in these lines from "The Given," a poem about the speaker's father:

Plums should be cold,
in a glass bowl and offered to children.
This is his simple goodness,
the sword to keep on your back, the one
to scrape away the pain of not knowing
what we're to do next or how we're going to act.
And it's just like him to say this in a poem
I never intended to write. Like an amen
after a prayer, he invites you to stop
at the doorway of our past
and step into our home.

The world we step into in this collection gives pleasure because it holds the promise and excitement of the unfamiliar but is, at the same time, always recognizably our world. These accessible and memorable poems are written with an elegant simplicity; again and again, Roma-Deeley gives us not the fancy word but just the right word in poems that satisfy and remind us that to be human is to be hungry.

This collection of poems is a MUST-READ for all poetry lovers. Lois Roma-Deeley's mastery of the craft is beautifully conveyed in her vivid imagery which is powerful, witty, and tantalizing to the senses. I can't wait for her next book to come out!

After reading Lois Roma Deeley's "Rules of Hunger" I felt
transported back to a place in the memory of my childhood growing up in an Irish-Italian family in the suburbs of N.Y.C. At times I could feel the presence of the "ghosts" of my family coming back to life while reading her poems. She has the unique ability of being able to rekindle images of the past in your heart and soul. I would recommend this book to people of all ethnic backgrounds.

This is my first saga so I didn't really know what to expect from it but I found it to be enjoyable. I did have a little problem with remembering who was related to who because they go through so many generations of people with strange names and some of the people have the same name but I got used to it after a while.

The first part of the book quickly goes through a few generations of vikings until it gets to the forming of the Jomsvikings who are the best of the best viking warriors who fear nothing. During a feast many of them make an oath to go to Norway and help take the crown so thats what they go do then a major sea battle takes place. After the battle some of the Jomsviking get captured then they are killed one at a time after telling their captures that they don't fear death but welcome it, which is the best part of the book.

I was able to read through this book without much difficulty in a very short time and I would recommend it to anyone who like viking sagas about fearless warriors.

A common theme in the Nordic sagas, was the formation of a close-knit band of Vikings, sworn to a particular task or mission. The Jomsvikings were very likely the most legendary group such as this. They were a collection of elite mercenaries from all over the Scandinavian lands, mostly from Norway. Their mission, to restore a king to the throne of Norway. Those who would join the organization had to pass an initiation phase, where their skills and endurance as warriors were tested. They had a charter of rules and standing orders, and operated out of a fortified island base on Jomsborg. In short, they were very much an early medieval special-operations unit. Sadly, they were defeated in the final battle at the end of the saga, but not without causing grievous damage to the opposing force. Most telling, is the valiant conduct of the Jomsvikings taken prisoner at this battle, and their reversal of a truly dismal fate! This scene alone is Viking valor at its highest! Even in defeat, they acquire glory, with a good ending for all.

Saga mostly concentrating on an elite band of Viking warriors known as the JomsVikings. Packed with blood and gore from beginning to end, even human sacrifices to gain favor from the Gods in battle!

...And I'm not kidding.

The Saga of the Jomsvikings is just about the best of the sagas (with the exception of, perhaps, the Laxdale Saga). The action is almost non-stop (once you get through the ponderous, but still interesting, introduction) and gives you a good idea about what the 12th-14th century poets/historians thought 9th-10th century exploits.

The most compelling chapter is chapter 23 where, as stated in the introduction, the author shows us the face of "...Men who know how to die." There is no hyperbole in this statement, and has, I'm sure, been the impetus for more than one writer/screenwriter (insert sly sidewise look toward Michael Crighton here).

This was only my second saga so I can't really compare it to many others. Having said that, this is a great saga to start out with. As expressed in previous reviews, "The Testing of the Jom'svikings" (chapter 23) is a great example of courage; men are able to face death completely void of all apparent fear, without so much as flinching at the blow of the sword. The excitement level is kept up very well throughout the story, especially for a tale which jumps around from different generations and countries as much as this. I never felt bored or that the book was slow moving. In other words, there was no constant strain for action. While it may be hard for the novice of the saga to get used to the long range of generations throughout the story, once you become used to it it becomes natural and easlily comprehensible.
Although many have expressed in previous reviews that the introduction was boring, I found it not too different from many other critical introductions I have read before. The introduction does what it needs to do, gives the reader an insight and an overview of the material that is to be read.

Mary's insightfulness of what it's like to be a woman, a human being, come through in simple, yet awe-inspiring words. Her poems moved me more than anything has in a long time. I want other women to discover the beauty and wisdom of Mary Waters. She's amazing!...

The poems in "Sandpaper Blankets" are so easy to read yet full of images and feeling. You can read them several times and find more meaning each time. My most favorite are "Moonlight" and "Ain't No Sunshine". I would recommend this for everyone!

Reading these poems is like staring into still water -- reflective, yet deep. While reading, I found myself saying, "Yes, I've felt that too!" Ms. Waters' poetry gives us language for the difficult and wonderous thing we call life. If I have to choose a favorite poem, it would be "Meetings." It should be required reading for anyone under the age of 30 -- and for most of us beyond...

Many of the poems in Sandpaper Blankets spoke directly to my heart and soul. The insight that Mary offers through her poems is exceptional yet common thereby helping us to open our eyes a bit wider to the world. I am eager to share this treasure with friends.

This is a rich, warm, spiritual book of poems which, while quite personal to Ms. Waters, wonderfully reach out and touch all her readers. The poems are fairly direct, almost narrative, not too complex, and filled with sweet phrases which could resonate in your head all day. I enjoy poetry and this collection is one of those filled with "thought of the day" type of poems. Fans of the love poems of e e cummings (I am!) and the stories of Brian Andreas should truly enjoy the insights of Ms. Waters. Ms. Waters may have a woman's perspective, but she relates it in a way which should appeal to all. My favorite poem is "No Question Asked."ÿ

W.H. Auden is truly, as noted by editor Edward Mendelson, a twentieth century poet. Auden had a firm grasp on the essence of contemporary politics and culture and possessed a knack for bringing a reader into his world. This selection spans the entire body of Auden's work, and contains several early poems which are hard to find, as Auden refused to have them republished in later collections of his work. It is a good introduction to Auden, but I recommend reading it along with Collected Shorter Poems 1927-1957, as that contains the revisions that Auden made to his poems over time, in his fervor for complete honesty in his work.

While Mendelson's selection is well put together and a good representation of Auden's early craft, the revised poems are generally much stronger (though often bleaker in tone). Many changes, such as the famous revision of September 1, 1939 to read "we must love one another and die" rather than "we must love one or die" were made to reflect the author's shifting attitudes. However, other poems improve significantly with Auden's editing, and if this book is the only Auden you read, you'll miss out on the full depth of his power as a poet.

Auden wrote much poetry in many different forms. He was a very learned poet with strong connection to English poetic tradition. Among his most known poems are those which are also my favorites,"Musee des Beaux Arts", "In Memory of W. B. Yeats" and "September 1,1939". The concluding stanza of this last poem gives a good idea of the special colloquial power of Auden's rhyme and rhythm.

"Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.

In that poem also contains the great stanza, " Lest we should see we are/ Lost in a dark haunted wood/ Children afraid of the night/ Who have never been happy or good."
Auden was too a considerable critic of Literature, an outstanding Anthologist, a man-of- letters in a true sense.
I do not know the range of his poetry well, but the anthology pieces are filled with memorable lines.
Edward Mendelson, a well- known Auden scholar, in this work presents a number of original poems which Auden as he was wont to do improved for the worse.

For many of us,the poems that we read in childhood and adolescence are those that stick with us the most. When I was fifteen, I bought this volume and promptly fell in love with Auden's poetry. His work showed a restlessness with the social and political state of his world, and I found that I could connect with it both intellectually and emotionally. To this day, I can revisit this book's pages feeling like I am visiting a childhood friend. Auden expressed some feelings I shared with him, and I was moved by his ability to express them better than I ever could: with frankness, wit, and grace. A must for any literary enthusiast (or any curious fifteen-year-old, for that matter).

The poetry is splendid -- Auden is a brilliant, sensitive, musical and entertaining writer -- and the selection is fairly representative. Mendelson prefers Auden's later poems to his earlier ones, so the twee middle-aged sequences "Bucolics" and "Horae Canonicae" are included complete, while most of "Twelve Songs" (which has some terrific love poems like "Fish in the unruffled lakes", "Funeral Blues" and "Tell me the truth about love") is not. Still, there is enough in here, esp. in the first two-thirds of the book, to give you a fair enough taste of Auden's verse to entice you to buy his Collected Poems.

(You'll still need the Selected; it has a couple of good poems that Auden decided not to republish, and superior versions of some early poems.)

I can do little more than echo the other reviewers here. This is all a 'selected poems' shoud be: introductory and selective. Yes, "Funeral Blues" is missing. But no one can complain about what is here, which includes "In Time of War", the great sonnet sequence; "The Quest", another long sequence; and the entirety of THE SEA AND THE MIRROR, which is based on Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST. If you are, however, only interested in his love poems, I'd have to steer you toward TELL ME THE TRUTH ABOUT LOVE, a nice little chapbook containing only those.

My own personal experience with this book may be relevant. It has served to introduce me to one of the finest poets of the last century and sparked a desire to read THE COLLECTED POEMS, also edited by Mendelson, to see how Auden re-wrote thirty of the brilliant poems here included. I'm continuing on my voyage; hope you are starting on yours.