I now enjoy poetry almost as much as mathematics and physics. I credit my appreciation for poetry to the cumulative effects of three Poetic forces: a Publisher plus Perrine plus Palgrave.

I could not resist the attraction of Dover Publications' Thrift Editions of the poetry of Keats, Wordsworth, Burns, Blake, Shelley, Shakespeare, Marvell, Frost, and many other poets. I began to read poetry for leisure and enjoyment.

Perrine's Sound and Sense, an intriguing text on reading poetry, helped me to recognize poetic forms, structure, sounds, and meanings. I began to see the subtleties and beauty of great poetry.

My discovery of the third force, "The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language" by Francis Turner Palgrave, was pure serendipity. I had read some lyrical poetry, some odes, elegies, and sonnets, but I had never explored the full scope of English lyrical poetry.

I clearly recall my excitement in my first reading of Palgrave's collection. I am fortunate that my first extended travels into English poetry were guided by a master. I have since become familiar with several other good anthologies, but Palgrave's remains my favorite.

Palgrave's "The Golden Treasury" has remained continuously in print since 1861, with Oxford University Press editions in 1907, 1909, 1929, 1940, 1964 (Section V added), and 1994 (Section VI added). I have the 1994 edition (sixth). The two additions, Sections V and VI, include a sampling of modern poets. This remarkable anthology is now nearly 700 pages. The font size is large and easy to read.

Palgrave's notes for Books I-IV are good, but many readers, like myself, may need a good dictionary for occasional archaic words and unfamiliar references to Greek and Roman mythology. I have found it quite helpful and entertaining to have a copy of Bulfinch's The Age of Fable nearby. I hope you enjoy Palgrave's selections of the finest poets in the English language as much as I did.

English lyrical poetry is among the world's finest poetry. Many years ago Francis Turner Palgrave, a professor of poetry at Oxford, compiled a highly respected anthology of English lyrical poetry.

I clearly recall my excitement in my first reading of Palgrave's collection. I have since become familiar with several other good anthologies, but Palgrave's remains my favorite.

Palgrave's remarkable anthology of English lyrical poetry is found with various titles: "The Golden Treasury of the Best Songs and Lyrical Poems in the English Language", or "Palgrave's Golden Treasury from Shakespeare to the Present", or "Palgrave's Golden Treasury", or simply "The Golden Treasury". Sometimes one title is found on the book cover and another on the title page.

Palgrave's "The Golden Treasury" has remained continuously in print since 1861, with Oxford University Press editions in 1907, 1909, 1929, 1940, 1964 (Section V added), and 1994 (Section V1 added). New printings occur every few years.

Today this remarkable anthology is now nearly 700 pages. The font size is large and easy to read.

Palgrave's somewhat sparse footnotes are only available for Sections I-IV. Many readers may need a good dictionary for occasional archaic words and unfamiliar references to Greek and Roman mythology. I have found it quite helpful and entertaining to have a copy of Bulfinch's The Age of Fable nearby. Whichever edition and printing that you acquire, I hope you enjoy Palgrave's selections as much as I did. Cheers.