William Wordsworth Books

Once you get past the strange layout (described in other sections), this is a great edition of Henry V. It is easy and fun to read and offers valuable insights (not just for students either). Well worth a flutter.

This play is best known for the St. Crispian's Day "Band of Brothers" speech given by King Henry just before the battle at Agincourt. It is a powerful speech that rallies people at all times and everywhere. Sir Lawrence Olivier made a film version in 1944 during WWII and Kenneth Branagh made another as recently as 1989. You can count on there being more versions. Epecially so when computers can help them make spectacular battle scenes (that aren't really in the play) with less expense.

Audiences love this play and they should. There is a lot to like and enjoy. I think upon repeated readings Henry becomes a more equivocal character than he seems at first. And readers of the King Henry IV plays will know him before he became King Henry and know something deeper about his personality.

And of course there is the whole bit about the drive to France being sponsored by the Church to avoid confiscation of property by the Crown. Moreover, there is the slaughtering of the French prisoners, and his treatment of Falstaff (who dies offstage in this play). This isn't revisionist stuff, it is right there in the play, but it is easy to miss the first time you are trying to take in the play.

In any case, this Arden edition is the one to buy and read from. Why? Because it has the most authoritative text, but that is only the beginning. It also shows variants between the early sources. The notes at the bottom of each page of the play are simply fabulous. The editor includes not only helpful notes explaining what might be obscure in the text of the play, he provides sources Shakespeare probably used such as Holinshed and makes for some very interesting study. There are also some helpful notes on how various scenes have been performed over time.

And to make this sound more like an infomercial, you get more! The introduction provides great background material on the play, its sources, and how it has been performed throughout history. After the play, there is a photo reproduction of the first Quarto from 1600 and it is fairly readable. There are also a couple of maps showing the path of the English Army from Harfleur through other towns on its way to Calais and makes clear how they had to pass through Agincourt.

There is also a helpful genealogical table so you can see the confusing claims used by Henry and the French nobility to make their claims. And there is a doubling chart so you can see how theater companies can perform all the roles with fewer actors.

This is a great edition as are all the plays published by the Arden Shakespeare. The amount of work collected in these volumes is stunning and they will enrich your experience of the plays tremendously. I can't recommend them enough.

This play more than any others in the histories glorifies Englishmen and England. His characters in this one are larger than life, but each has their own limitations and flaws. The play covers the time of the Battle of Agincourt when the French King Charles was so sure of victory that he sent a messenger to Henry to ask him to give up and to pay a ransom before the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered five to one, Henry's troops were on foreign soil and riddled with disease. The scenes where Henry dons a disguise and goes out amongst his troops to bolster their confidence are great. The English managed to triumph in this battle where all was stacked against them mostly because of Henry's leadership. This is such a sweeping story that it is hard to condense in a few words, the plot of the play, but it is a wonderful example of Shakespeare's skills as a writer.

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.' What more need I say? Henry V is an imortal classic of western literature. And this edition is complete and accurate. See the film if you want, but be sure to read the words at least once. They are inspiring.

"Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it."

Particularly poignant poetry in these times of pompous presidential sabre rattling and wars based on questionable facts.

Bertie Wooster can sing the latest Broadway melody while he scrub brushes his back, but I prefer reading poetry aloud in my acoustically-correct, ceramic-tiled bath. And I've discovered the perfect book for it: Dover's Thrift Edition of Great Sonnets.

It is from this small volume that I've learned that the world is charged with the grandeur of God ("God's Grandeur," Hopkins), that lust in action is a waste of shame ("Th' Expense of Spirit in a Waste of Shame," Shakespeare), and that listening to my lover's breathing while pillowed upon her breast beats looking at that lone, cold, bright and steadfast star any old day ("Bright Star," Keats).

And that's not all. This thin volume of sonnets is chock-full of other such keen observations.

For example, how does Wordsworth ("Surprised by Joy") manage to convey so economically that fleeting feeling of joy accidentally experienced by a man mourning the death of a loved one, that is immediately followed by his feeling of guilt for having felt it, which makes us feel how quickly times passes?

How does Archibald MacLeish reduce a cataclysmic event as large as the end of the world into so few choice words that when the circus big top blows off you feel as if the top of your head has blown off with it? ("The End of the World")

How can someone say so much in so few lines and so few words? Fourteen lines to be exact, with five strong beats or stresses per line-no more and no less-and a very exacting rhyme scheme. I don't know. I'm usually given to such wordiness that it would take me a warehouse the size of a state university filled with three-ring binders to tell you, and I still couldn't begin to touch the truth of it. However, that poets can do it never ceases to astonish me.

What's more, should my dog-eared Dover thrift edition ever fall by accident into the tub, I can cheaply replace it.

This is yet another great value produced by Dover publication. For a small amount of money one receives ' treasures' that can help sustain one throughout one's lifetime. There are ' immortal poems' in this collection including many of the greatest sonnets ever written , sonnets by Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Wordsworth, Keats, Hopkins, the greatest masters of the form.
I myself came to know many of these sonnets in popular editions by other publishers, editions which have commentary these 'Dover Thrifts' lack. But the poetry is here, and much of it is real food for the soul.
The collection raises the question why it is that so much great English poetry has been written in this particular form- a question I do not really have the answer to.

this isn't an exhaustive collection of sonnets, nor a serious study. it is simply what it is: a short collection of sonnets that can be purchased cheaply. there are many great sonnets not included and no contemporary sonnets. but it isn't meant to be anything more than what it is. and if you love the sonnet, it's a good collection.

I needed a little reference with sonnet examples.
This fit the bill, and had some savory treats as well.
I am a bit time-greedy with my poetry reading, and a sonnet
is a fantastic way to get some of the best Shakespeare,
Shelley, Longfellow, Hardy, Frost, etc. distilled down
to a minute, even reading slowly.
It's great to flick open to a page
and see some masterful language on a time budget.
If you have little time, or haven't read poetry
for a while, this great little tome is fresh
entertainment. Read Shakespeare sonnets aloud
to the missus, and you'll both be entertained.
The sonnet bites back at the sound-bite!
No batteries needed, no compatibility problems,
no cell-tower fade on the train.
I love little books.. Try some today!

A fine collection of sonnets, including many if not most of the most familiar ones. Eight from Shakespeare, four from E. Browning, four from Frost, four from Hopkins, four from Longfellow. For me at least, a more appealing collection than another I recently purchased.

Wordsworth isn't my favourite poet. As one of the great romantic poets, I find his stuff, well, a bit fey. But hey. That's just my opinion. In reality there's more gems here than the crown jewels.

this edition.

The Wordsworth Poetry Library offers some decent printings of the works of any number of poets for fantastic prices. These editions may not be of the best quality, but that's okay for most of the books in the collection. However, when it comes to Wordsworth, quality is an issue because of the sheer volume of his poetical works. The WPL edition of the namesake's poetry will fall apart if one attempts to actually read it. There are simply too many pages in this edition for the paperback, perfect-bound book to stay together.

When it comes to Wordsworth, a little probably goes a long way for the casual reader; such may wish to consider the Penguin edition of Selected Poems of William Wordsworth. However, those who truly wish to read (or at least own) every accessible bit of verse by the venerable poet will do well to look around (use bookfinder dot com or eBay) for old hardcover editions under the title Complete Poetical Works of William Wordsworth.

It should be stressed that the casual reader will generally find the WPL editions adequate, especially for the price, and that this volume is only a poor choice because of the amount of pages.

William Wordsworth is my favorite poet. I wanted a collection of his poetry and I can't imagine a better one than this! It's so complete I don't think I'll ever need another one! I'm totally satisfied.

William Wordsworth is one of my favorite poets. This collection of his works is great. It put together really well and its easy to read and find your favorites in it. You will Love Wordsworth is much as I do!

This poem is very unique. Langland conveys many moral issues that will always be part of human existence. The poem is written in the beautiful, alliterative style. It is not quite a standard allegory and perhaps this is why I enjoyed it so much. It is masterfully composed and Piers' vision is accutely realized. Langland has an artistic touch that grabs hold of a reader and also manages to import a message. I would recommend a version that has both the original text, with all the idosyncratic spellings, and a modern English translation. Reading this is like reading Dante, Chaucer, or the Gawain Poet. A lot to chew on but well worth the trouble.

The poem of 'Piers the Ploughman' is often considered to be anonymously composed, as the name William Langland was less an authorial designation as it was an inscription on the back of a manuscript - it would be as if I would be assigned the authorship of the O.E.D. because, in some future time, the only remaining copy was missing the title pages, but still had the hard-cover with my 'ex libris' impression on it. Be that as it may, Langland is considered at least as likely an author as any other, and becomes a sort of stand-in, an 'everyman' for his time period. A few details of this Langland are known - he was a wanderer, a constant reviser (the poem goes through several revisions that scholars have designated as texts A, B, and C (and some argue for Z). This is not a spiritual autobiography, as J.F. Goodridge states in an essay about Langland in another edition, but there are no doubt autobiographical elements in the text. That the lead character is named 'Will' helps in this identification.

This poem stands alongside Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' as one of the great products of Middle English; this also has the character of being a different sort of Middle English than Chaucer's more courtly, continental influenced variety. Thus, it gives breadth to the history of the English language. Langland is often ranked as a great English poet on a par with Spenser, Milton, Wordsworth and Yeats, as representative of his age both in topics as well as language facility.

This epic poem deals with themes familiar for the time - like Dante and Milton, Langland deals with the grand ideas of the meaning of life and the destiny of humankind. However, unlike Dante and Milton, Will and Piers the Ploughman do not go through a mystical, otherworldly adventure or journey, but rather stays rooted to the earth. These are dream sequences, but these too need not be otherworldly - they are things that can happen to every person. The ideas of the seven deadly sins, the virtues, the church, and the images of heaven and hell are very much rooted to regular society images of the same. The discussion of the allegorical characters, aptly named Do-Well, Do-Better, and Do-Best, does much for the moral teaching of this poem, which would have been of primary concern to the author.

Langland's text is often more Old English than Chaucerian in ways. It is far more alliterative, a strong component taken from Old English. Also, it is less metrical in rhythm than Chaucer - there is a pause in each line akin to older English poetry, but the metre is less secure.

This translation is done in alliterative verse by E. Talbot Donaldson (the 'E' stands for the very olde Englishe sounding name of Ethelbert). There are notes, essays and other helpful material provided by Elizabeth Kirk and Judith Anderson. There are over 50 non-related texts of the poem that have survived the Middle Ages, that vary from minor to major changes throughout. Reconciling these is rather like attempting to reconcile the gospels of the Bible, and then adding to that task the discovery of other non-canonical gospels. It leads to rich discussion, but less agreement.

The introductory material helps set the stage for reading, and the appendix gives a more thorough development of 'The Dreamer' from the C text.

Perhaps one of the reasons I like this text so much is that the persons involved were known to me, or friends of friends. Donaldson was the founding editor of 'The Norton Anthology of English Literature', a broad, wide-ranging text. However, it was 'Piers Plowman' that was to be a continuing favourite study for him.

This is one of the classics of English literature, perhaps the least known among them.

This poem is one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. I am not a specialist in Middle English, so I cannot say what was lost in the translation into Modern English. I have a copy of the B-Text version which is in Middle English, and if you are like me and have no background therein, this is definitely the version to possess.

It was written circa 1380 and gives an excellent account of life in Plantagenent England and the behavior of the people. The money economy was relatively new, and he saw the negative effects that it had upon both the secular authorities and the Church. The poem is written as an allegory in which the author tries to reconcile the needs of human society with satisfying our Lord our God. Similar to Pilgrim's Progress, the author has a vision, in which he is encounters different aspects of humanity (Covetousness, Sloth, Soul, Knowledge, etc.) on his attempt to find Truth (or God). It is definitely not light reading, and there is so much deep thought that one has to spend a lot of time reading it slowly, as I am sure it was done in the 'Middle Ages'.

The author thought that End Times were near after the Black Death and the utter corruption amongst secular and clerical authorities at the time. The fact that something so penetrating and inspirational was written and found such an appreciative audience that it has survived till now shows that the society then was not so bad. Highly recommended.

This is a sequel to Walker's Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland (1997). It covers what happened to Coleridge after he separated from the Wordsworth's on the third week.

Everything about these two books is a true pleasure and obvious labor of love. Not only is Carol Walker a skilled photographer, literary historian and writer, but a hiker and thorough researcher. The books are of real and lasting scholarly merit, they are very generous in what is included.

Most of the book is photos but the first 25 pages is a literary history of Coleridge and Wordsworth, and their relationship and falling out, and how that played into their trip to Scotland. It is entirely human and understandable and gets to the core of what is friendship.

The pictures in this book of Scotland's lakes, fields and mountains are breathtaking. Carol Walker follows Coleridge's 263 mile walking tour from over 200 years ago. Mostly color photos record all the sights along the way, and what sights they are. The text consists of a short but thorough history of the tour, and at the end pages from Coleridge's travel journal and letters written during his journey. There are very useful maps that pinpoint each place Coleridge past along the way. Books like this usually disappoint me because of the paucity of pictures. This book is a work of art with equal laurels earned by the author, the photographer and the book designer. It is one of those books you just love to hold and turn the pages. It is so obvious that everyone concerned with this project took great pride in their work. I have a personal library of 10,000 volumes. This is the single most beautiful book I own.

I love this CD set! Michael Sheen knows how to read a poem. I play this CD constantly and love it dearly!

I can hardly contain my enthusiasm at finding this title. The poets they chose for this collection couldn't have been more satisfying. The other reason I got it was that I had just discovered actor, Michael Sheen, who narrates. He has a truly, magnificent voice that gives me chills. As someone who has directed voice talent, and devours poetry, I can tell you that he is a very skilled reader. This title is good for people who are poetry snobs as well as people who haven't given classic poetry a real chance. Unfortunately, it is out-of-print, so I had to go through the arduous task of downloading it. This means that it comes without ANY information. I found that very frustrating. I wish that Naxos would re-release it and give Michael Sheen a fat contract to narrate at least 5 more of these!

HE IS INDEED THE MEMORABLE OF THE FINNEST ARTS THAT WORLD HAD PRODUCE.HE IS A RARE GEM OF ALL THE JEWELS.WELL INDEED HIS WORKS WERE ONE OF THE RARE COMODITIES IN THIS PRESENT WORLD OF LETURATURE.

Despite his status of 'whipping boy'with much of the academic community - the 'icon' to be smashed - Wordsworth's literary merits endure. Or rather - his power to inspire, endures. Wordsworth made an important diction - between the public and the people. The pseudo-sophisticated wish to pander to fashionable modes of literary criticism; they will try to convince you that Wordsworth's poetry is passe, the 'tin god' of gemutlich Victorian dreams. Meanwhile, the 'people' still read W, and they always will - especially those who turn to the bosom of nature to nourish the spirit. J.S. Mill cured himself of chronic melancholia after opening himself to Wordsworth's work -the prospect (or 'project') - it endeavours to lead us toward. This text is De Selincourt's judicious editorial work. Otherwise expensive, this p/back version is worth buying.Be warned tho', Wordsworth did not live to see 'The Prelude' published.For that, Stephen Gill's ed is much to be recommnded.

Peter Manning is a deeply insightful human being and a great father. His cutting analysis and exploration of the works and lives of the Romantic Poets is must reading for anyone who considers him or herself to have even the smallest of romantic leanings.

Professor Peter Manning has allowed me to appreciate and understand romantic literature to an extent which I would have never thought possible. Professor Manning's passion for the subject shines through every sentance in this scholarly masterpiece. Dr. Manning's years of study and reflection in the Lake District of England, a source of inspiration (and often an adress) for many of the masters in his study no doubt contributed to his abilty to achieve a higher level of understanding of the beautiful poetry to which he has devoted his professional life. Dr. Manning represents all that is good about scholarship and intellectual pursuit in this country.

As one who preferred the Eighteenth Century in graduate school, I was astonished at the revelation that Romantic Natural Histories created in my understanding of the Romantics. For the FIRST time I began to imagine the intellectual ferment that was resulting from the work of the likes of Erasmus Darwin (and the Lunar Society), let alone Charles Darwin. I understood that the Romantics were not simpering sentimentalists, but artists and thinkers who were responding imaginatively to the science of their time (think Mary Shelley and Galvani, John Keats and the study of medicine--etc., etc.). In their awareness of contemporary science, they have much in common with writers today. See also Verlyn Klinkenborg's Timothy; or Notes of an Abject Tortoise (Knopf 2006), a work of imaginative fiction told from the point of view of the tortoise that lived for many years in the garden of Gilbert White, whose journals and letters lead the entries in RNH. Ashton Nichols with his book has revolutionized my own understanding and respect for the Romantics, and has brought them decisively into the modern world. I do not see how schools can ever again teach them in isolation from the understandings are opened up for us here. This book needs to stay in print for a long, long time.

This anthology will be especially useful for courses in Romanticism, ecocriticism, or literature and the environment. The volume reveals how much poets from Blake to Tennyson knew about the natural science of their times and how much scientists like Humphry Davy and Charles Darwin knew, and cared about, imaginative literature. The collection reminds us of a time when poetry and science were more closely linked than they seem to be today, while also revealing the origins of many of our own assumptions about relationships between human beings and the natural world. A timeline from 1750-1859 and numerous illustrations help to solidify these connections.

This is the most concise account of the shared origins of Gothic and Romantic I've read, and I've read several. The sections on publishing and on periodical reception are, on the whole, beautifully done. While the chapter on Joanna Baillie is an important contribution to what we know of that understudied dramatist, the chapter on Lyrical Ballads is without question the book's centerpiece.

Gamer's work offers a rare combination of intelligence and subversion. This readable, well-researched, brilliantly aruged book rightly turns most previously held ideas about "high Romantic literature" and popular culture on their heads. His thesis, that revered Romantic writers appropriated low-brow Gothic culture whilst denying it in order to elevate their own stature and reinforce their own valuations of "the Romantic" is eeriely applicable to the battles within our own culture today. I plan to incorporate this in my own teaching; it is a work whose implications far exceed the period which it addresses. It is also a refreshing departure from commonly turgid and overwrought academic writing. Bravo.