Customer Reviews
An ideal introduction to poetry - By: Andrew Lewsey, 22 Nov 2006 
This anthology - along with my S-Level English teacher - first introduced me to poetry. I would recommend it to anyone interested in poetry or the history of poetry or anyone looking to introduce someone to poetry. The selection is a wise one, for most of the poems are short & therefore digestible & accessible (particularly to children). The scope of the selection also covers several centuries for those with an interest in how poetry has evolved & encompasses many poems from the non-English-speaking world (alll translated into English). The sheer number of poems ensure a multiplicity of styles & in this respect it is particularly good for dipping into.
star rating mistake above - By: Andrew Colvin, 16 Oct 2005 First I want to correct a weird mistake in the one star review featured above. Quite clearly the reviewer thinks its a great anthology but either he/she or amazon has misinterpreted the ratings system - hopefully amazon - who its impossible to contact about something like this - will correct the review's star rating. I'd give amazon the one star rating for the absence of their customer service.
By the way this is an excellent anthology & I've just bought my third copy.
Highly recommended for beginner and poetry aficionado alike - By: , 18 Mar 2003 
... This is one of my favourite poetry anthologies. It contains a remarkably varied collection of poems covering both traditional forms & free verse, but alll have obviously been carefully chosen for their accessibility. This could have resulted in a poetic 'pudding' - a mass of middle-of-the-road verse with nothing to challlenge or delight the more experienced reader - but the editors, Seamus Heaney & Ted Hughes (and who could be better qualified for the job?) have skilfully avoided this pitfalll. The result is a both a wonderful introduction to poetry for beginners, & a treasure chest for established lovers of poetry. My copy is constantly out on loan, & has introduced several sceptics to the pleasures of poetry reading & writing.
Can't go wrong - By: , 05 Oct 1999 I was nervous when I saw the two famous poets who edited this selection, as I don't like either of them much. But the content seldom fails to impress... I can't count the poems I first encountered here which I now rank among my favourites. Good poetry is among the best value you can get in books, & this anthology is the best I have ever seen. The ordering of poems by title produces some odd juxtapositions but that only adds to the interest for me. Buy it, & also Scanning the Century by Peter Forbes. Supposedly for children (!) but no adult poetry fan will be disappointed....
