Great Love Poems (Dover Thrift Editions)

Great Love Poems, which is edited by Shame Weller, is one of those little books that you get a lot on bang for your buck from. This little volume is cheap! I probably should say inexpensive, but to be frank, it is made of cheap paper, is small and is in paperback. This is one of its many strength's though.

There are over 150 of some of the greatest love poems spanning a 400 year history between these two covers. Works by Shakespeare, Donne, Blake, Burns, Anderson, Lord Byron, Poe, Browning, Yeats, Dickinson, Whitman, Elizabeth Browning, Keats, Marlowe, Jonson, Milton, Lovelace, Suckling, Arnold, Houseman, Millay and Frost are all included along with a drove of others, just as well known poets.

Now this is certainly not an all inclusive gathering of great love poems, no, no, not by any means, but then you are not purchasing a ten volume set of hardback books that weigh 40 or 20 pounds. You're purchasing a small, rather thin paperback book that has some great stuff printed in it. For every great poem included here, I am sure that most of you could name ten or more others that are just as deserving to join the company of this group. Each person has their favorite poet, poem or work; that is the nature of poetry. This is but a sampling, and a good sampling, in my opinion.

Now some like love poems and others do not and then we have those that don't know if they like them or not! If you fall into the first category, then you probably should not purchase this volume. If you fall into the last category, then this would be a rather inexpensive way to find out if you like the genre or not. Of course I suppose you could always check it out from the library for free...come to think of it.

Anyway, I like this little book and I like most of the Dover Thrift Editions and feel they provide a very nice service. This is one of those little books that fit neatly into your trekking pack so you can read it to your loved one while setting on moss covered stones by a clear bubbling stream. If it has the desired effect and should happen to fall into the water while your attention wonders...well, no great loss, you can go buy another.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

There is nothing more soothing to the soul than a well-constructed love poem. Love is the emotion that binds humans together, taking what is a collection of independent, self-centered creatures and turning it into a bound community of households, families, tribes, nations and a species. This collection of poems by some of the greatest poets of all time is meant for quiet thoughtful times where you can read a couple of sentences, think a bit and then read some more. I often found myself following a mental metronome as I moved through the syllables from rhyming word to rhyming word. Love is an emotion that can lead to violence, possession, jealousy and other negative consequences. However, it can also lead to great gentleness and concern, which are the emotions generated by the contents of this book.

Good as an introduction to poetry. Who doesn't like to read love poems? Great price.

Not the greatest collection. Still, the price is great for what you do get. A large sampling of great poems from many time periods.

This anthology of poems is one of the best I have ever come across. As a whole it is lovely read and continues to delight from begining to end. It's inclusion of many early modern poets really adds most of the greatness of this collection. To read poems from centuries ago and see how the story and feeling of love has remained the same experience is quite a treat. It demstrates love's eternal presence in the human heart.

For the person who doesn't readd much poetry this would be a great introduction, as it's poems are very personal and expressive making it hard to the reader not to be moved. Many of the poems linger long after you have read them and thus add beauty and comfort to your days. It will inspire you to search for more anthologies, as this one is merely a sampling of all the great love poems written through the ages. It as flows well as any good anthology and is a good collection to return to again and again. I have remembered it better than most anthologies and so I recommend it to all readers.