...I loved the pictures and the poems, and began looking for it 14 years ago for my home. Wish I'd looked at Amazon a while ago. The illustrations stay in your mind forever - whimsical and beautiful. The poems are second to none, and some, I have never found elsewhere. I just about cried for joy today when I got my hands on MY VERY OWN copy. Every house should have one! This book is a true treasure!

...Begins one of my many favorites introduced to me by this book. My mother (a librarian) first read poems such as "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" to me from this book, and I continued to read them until a hiatus where a young man disdains poetry as not being macho. I rediscovered many an old friend when I started reading these poems to my own children. Now the book is in tatters (glueback bindings do not stand the test of time, especially not in dry Colorado), and I search for a replacement. If the reissue has indeed been 'sanitized' in the name of political correctness, then I fear much will have been lost, and I will be reduced to trying to rebind my tatters.

I fell in love with this book in my elementary library. I've paid enough late fines on it in the last 15 years to have bought the book several times over. It's here that I fell in love with Lady Clair and a million other classics that have resurfaced over and over in my classes in grade school and college. I want my own copy!

As a child I read this book and re-read it and re-read it so many times that my hardbound copy fell apart! What more can be said for the attraction of a book?

This treasury consists of complete stories as well as excerpts from classic books such as Winnie the Pooh, the Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. It has variety of genres -- Aesops fables, Grimm's fairy tales, stories from the Arabian nights, as well as more contemporary work. One of my favorites, Turn on the Night, is a great story to help soothe children who are scared of the dark.

Additionally, the book is filled with wonderful illustrations. Each story has its own style, so there is something new and interesting on each page (almost).

I highly recommend this book for good readers in the early elementary grades and for all middle grade elementary readers. I enjoyed it much longer as a child, but it is sure to be appreciated by those grades.

I can't remember a time when this book wasn't on our bookshelf in my parents' home. My father and mother took turns reading us the stories, and when I was old enough, I insisted on taking my turn to read aloud. I can't say enough good things about this collection, filled with beautiful and whimsical illustrations, exerpts from children's classics and unique stories that you may never have seen elsewhere. Many of the classic Grimm and Anderson fairy tales are presented in what is probably close to their original form (NOT P.C., but parents, don't worry - young children have an amazing capacity to absorb the grotesque without the fears that come with adolescence and adulthood). It also contains exerpts from such children's classics as "The Hobbit", "Peter Pan", "Alice in Wonderland", and "The Wind in the Willows". Another plus: the stories in this collection are not edited, re-worded, or otherwise scaled down for the young reader - a boon to those of us who understand that small children can and do learn "up" to the level of reading/conversation with which they are presented. Warning: Some of the fairy tales (like "Blue Beard") can be considered graphic and frightening - although small children may not be frightened at all due to a limited ability to absorb such imagery. Whatever you do, do NOT let the fear of a couple of gory fairy tales keep you from introducing your child to the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien, Oscar Wilde, Kenneth Grahame, A.A. Milne, and Lewis Carroll.

This is my favorite book, I received it when I was 10 and now my son discovered it in the school library and has almost finished it all. It has fabulous stories for all ages.

I don't have a copy to review . I have asked for an email to be sent when it is in stock. Can someone send me an e mail telling me what poems are read by alexander scourby. I had a decca ? lp in 1958 of poems read by alexander scourby such as GUNGA DIN SEA FEVER THE HIGHWAYMAN etc and i have been trying to find out if ever these poems were re released on cassette or CD as my lp is now lost. perhaps you can ask Mr Untermeyer if he knows where you can get acopy

I listen to these cassettes over and over. It is a remarkable collection which begins with a warm introduction by Mr. Untermeyer himself. Superbly performed, the poetry is brought to life by the three readers. The poems are organized by period and each period and author is briefly introduced. The listener is exposed to a vast spectrum of poetry. The selections are truly great and the readings are memorable. I compare it to my Norton's Anthology of English Literature and wonder how some of the fine poems Mr. Untermeyer has chosen could possibly have been omitted from Norton's

The concise biographies featured in this classic history of the poets lives and works are fascinating.

If you have studied poetry in school or merely love poetry for its own sake, you WILL find that the short biographies in this work add insight and meaning to works of the respective poets.

Do yourself a favor. Pick up a copy of this book, even though it is now out of print. It is a valuable and entertaining resource for anyone who considers himself to be "well-educated."

My copy (found in a used book store in Boston next to an amazing French Vietnamese restaurant) was so torn and tattered I had to hold it together with rubber bands. In the past, reading bios of my favorite authors was like finding your dear old uncle was a pediphile. These stories focused on the amazing creativity formed by the lives of extraordinary people. I looked for years for a better used copy - no one sells them. This book is the last thing to go before you get evicted!

This books contains biographical essays about the people who have shaped our modern world, for good and bad. It is a fascinating story, since its chronological order allows the reader to explore the evolution of the modern world from every aspect: science, art, philosophy, politics, war. Many of the lives involved are intertwined, since the work of artists and scientists are affected by what happens in the economic and political arenas, and viceversa, and many of them were contemporaries and had influence on each other, besides exchanging letters or getting involved in debates. It starts with Newton, and from then on you are witness to the most important landmarks in history: major scientific discoveries and inventions, major works of art and political developments. I read this first when I was a child (in the spanish edition), and it proved to be MY introduction to Western culture. For example, I was impelled to read Proust, since the essay contained here awoke my curiosity to find out the importance and beauty of his prose. If you read this, you will have a very good panoramic view of our history, including, as I said, art, science, philosophy and politics. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially parents with high-schoolers. The style is serious but clear and straightforward; the essays are short (8-12 pages)and try to stimulate further reading, since they include a short list of bibliography to which the interested reader can move on.

I'm very glad to see this book back in print. It ranks with Babette Deutsch's Poetry Handbook and Karl Shapiro's book on prosody as an essential technical guide to poetry. Yet it is written in a lucid, accessible style. It will help you with questions you've always had about poetry and will make you smarter!

This collection has every old-fashioned poem, rhyme, old wives' tale and silly piece of literature that your mother ever recited for you. My mother knew these works from her own childhood, having been raised in large part by her grandparents - making these nuggets old even then (Depression-era). Last week, I read them to class of third-graders stuck inside for recess on a rainy day, saying, "Let's take a chance on this. I'll stop in 5 or 10 minutes if you want me to stop." After 10 minutes, not one student wanted me to stop, and most of them were giving me their full attention. That's the best review I can give to a book of children's literature.

This is one of the richest anthologies of classical English poetry I have ever encountered. Mr. Untermeyer made his selections for entertainment value and beauty, without compromising quality. They engage the reader on every possible level--they can stimulate your intellect, get your adrenalin pumping, inspire your spirit, and take you on an emotional roller-coaster from laughter to heartbreak and back--sometimes all in the same poem! Though they are not by any means intended for children (some deal with very adult matters) I grew up with these poems--Grandma read them to me for bedtime stories--and feel that they have integrally shaped the person I am today: someone who sees the beauty and adventure in all of life's circumstances. I want a copy for my nephew and neice!

I was given this book at age 7 or 8: one of my first "big kid "books that wasn't a hand-me down from my sisters. No one had to make me read poetry,after that!I adore the illustrations; they just seem so perfect for each poem! There are dozens I can still recite from memory.
When my son was 4, I got the book out of storage and read him, "The Highwayman"- and he was hooked! We rode with Paul Revere and asked each other: "I'm nobody! Who are you?" When my daughter found an abandoned nest of baby birds and we knew they would die- we read "Four Little Foxes" and grieved together, and later laughed over "The Owl Critic." These poems and drawings are like old friends to us all.
After all these years, it's rather the Velveteen rabbit of the bookshelf: pages dog-eared and falling out from years of use. I am ordering a new copy for my daughter's 12th birthday (don't pay attention to the age range listed for the book) so she'll have a copy to pass on to her children. It's just a wonderful selection of all types of poems, sure to please the children AND the adults who read to them! Start tonight!

I was cleaning out some boxes of children's books, keeping what I consider classic while giving the rest to my grandchildren or to the libraries. I doubled-back between this current edition and the previous editions to make sure this was the same one...it is, and I highly recommend this. I took a class in children's literature back in the 70's and I fondly remember it as being one of the most enjoyable classes I had in college the first time around. This book lasted through my children's growing up and is now going through new useage with my grandchildren. I love the way this book is organized. If you have a child with specific interests such as limericks (and I know few children who don't get a kick out of limericks) you can go to that section without delay.

I grew up with Joan Walsh Anglund poignant drawings. They are not particularly 'great' art, but for children and in this book, they are vastly more suitable than the poorly drawn and maddening stuff put out in cartoons (especially of the Pokemon variety which will set off seizures in children). They say the age of this book is for four years to eight year olds. That isn't true. Every parent should try to take the time to read to all children in whatever form necessary...and it should start at age one. Reading aloud (or signing books) to your children not only makes essential bonds, but it also teaches children what you think is important, and also teaches them how to stop and pay attention. The massive complaints about restless children and the abuse of labeling (ADD/ADHD) has its beginnings in simple things such as turning the television/computers off and reading to your children.

... should be showing the pictures and pages of this book in a sampling, so that parents can make informed decisions about children's books. If you only get one child's book this year, get this one and sit down with your children and read.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh

Incredible book of poetry for children and adults alike. Timeless selections. Many will remind you of your own childhood. This collection should be required reading in all schools. Also, the illustrations are most memorable and will capture young imaginations. I'm so glad to have rediscovered this book after over 3 decades!