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Poetry anthologies abound, in infinite variety. Themed volumes range in usefulness, from time to place, to subject. But aside from containing the odd classic and a few modern masterpieces, the remainder is often there because it fits the description and not necessarily because it is great poetry. How wonderful then to read a poetry anthology where every poem, without exception, is worth reading and, more importantly with poetry, worth keeping on your bookshelves to read again and again.

The book is based on the result of a poll conducted in 1995 by The Bookworm, to coincide with National Poetry Day. And an eclectic collection it is, with the heavyweights, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Marvell and Wordsworth, rubbing shoulders with their latter-day counterparts, Larkin, Hughes, Heaney and McGough. Romantics are well served with Yeats, Keats, Tennyson and Shelley. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's "How Do I Love Thee" is here, as is Christina Rossetti¹s "Remember." The Great British Public shows its lighter side, with "The Owl and the Pussycat," "Jabberwocky," "Macavity: the Mystery Cat" and children's favourite, Allan Ahlberg's "Please Mrs Butler." But it commemorates the horrors of the century too, with the war poets, Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke.

And the Nation's Favourite? Well, as this is no novel with a surprise ending to give away, Rudyard Kipling's "If" received twice as many votes as the runner-up, Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott." There are 98 other poems to savour here, so if Kipling's not your style, try Stevie Smith or Jenny Joseph.

At any price, this is a must-have poetry anthology. Buy a copy for everyone you know with a birthday this year. And don't forget yourself!--Carey Green

Average Customer Rating:

A great varied collection	Customer Rating:
I love the fact that the poems are so varied, and this book contains so many I thought I had forgotten. I too remember 'Chocolate Cake' from years ago. Books like this help people to really appreciate poetry.

Classic!

Customer Rating:

A classic collection of some of the best poems ever written in one thoroughly enjoyable book. All the biggest names and titles from the world of poetry are there, making this a colection with a poem for every mood and occasion. Whether you want to stretch your mind, provoke your thoughts, or merely delight in the composition of some exquisite works of words, I'm sure you will enjoy this! Declan Mullan.

Nations Favorite Poems

Customer Rating:

I bought this after participating in an acting course where one of the criteria was to bring along a poem. I hated poems at school and certainly had no interest in them after leaving. However, after purchasing this book and finding a new appreciation for poems I was surprised to find myself dipping in to the book when a quite moment arose and to find that I knew some of the poems such as “If” and “Chocolate Cake”. It also kept the in-laws (whom were already into poetry) busy for a while, when they came over to visit. This is a great book for all degrees of appreciation.

Nations Favorite Poems

Customer Rating:

I bought this after participating in an acting course where one of the criteria was to bring along a poem. I hated poems at school and certainly had no interest in them after leaving. However, after purchasing this book and finding a new appreciation for poems I was surprised to find myself dipping in to the book when a quite moment arose and to find that I knew some of the poems such as "If" and "Chocolate Cake". It also kept the in-laws (whom were already into poetry) busy for a while, when they came over to visit. This is a great book for all degrees of appreciation.

fantastic	Customer Rating:
This book is a sheer delight with poems to suit every taste from the traditional 'Daffodils' to the more contemporary 'When I Am An Old Woman'. You'll find poems to move you and poems to make you laugh, poems that you will remember from schooldays and poems you've never read before. This is a book to dip in and out of as the whim takes you. A 'must have' on any poetry lovers bookshelf.