Product Description

This is the only comprehensive volume of Robert Frost's published verse; in it are the contents of all eleven of his individual books of poetry-from A Boy's Will (1913) to In the Clearing (1962). The editor, Edward Connery Lathem, has scrupulously annotated the more than 350 poems in this book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9773 in Books
• Published on: 1969-11-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 640 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780805005028
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Listening to these time-honored poems, it's difficult to imagine the young Frost struggling to find a publisher for his work. In fact, he was nearly 40 (and living in England, of all places) when A Boy's Will, his first collection, appeared. Over the next 50 years he would become the quintessential American poet, securing a well-cushioned catbird seat in the literary canon.

Performers Susan Anspach, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Elliott Gould, among others, heighten the conversational cadences of a writer who seldom strayed from his beloved iambs. Included are "Mending Wall," "The Road Not Taken," "The Death of the Hired Man," "The Fear," and much more, all complete and unabridged. (Running time: 1 hour, 1 cassette) --Martha Silano

Customer Reviews

The Poetry-Lover's Definitive Frost
Robert Frost was and is America's greatest poet. Excepting, perhaps, W. B. Yeats, he may be the greatest poet to write English in the twentieth century. (To me, it's a toss-up.) To read this volume systematically or desultorily is to become convinced of that. But Frost is, above all, accessible, so the casual reader may not appreciate the difficulty of what he does. Like much of the greatest art his looks easy, even inevitable.

All of Frost's poems are here, plus his two dramatic Masques. When this book first appeared (in 1969) it caused a furor: the editor, it was angrily asserted, presumed too much. He dared to clarify - inserting a hyphen here, excising a comma there. That furor has since died down, as people realize that he did not do away with the sacred texts (any emendation was noted), but simply performed his job as editor. He regularized spelling and the use of single and double quotes (though not Capitalization, which can legitimately be thought of as integral to the poet's expression (think of e.e. cummings!)), and corrected other obvious errors. The notes give the published variants for each poem, so if you wish you may make your own call on some of these finicky issues.

I cannot emphasize enough: BUY THE HARDCOVER! After all, you will be reading this book for the rest of your life. It is a beautifully-built volume, of an easy size and heft for use, with understated appealing typefaces and an exemplary design. Put out by Frost's long-time publisher, this is one of the few essential books of American literature.

Poetry for the common man
What can I say? Robert Frost is the quintessential American poet. Quite frankly, I never have really been drawn to poetry, either it is overly sentimental, too dramatic, or tries to hard to make a statement. Frost avoids all of these pitfalls, he writes poetry for the common man.

I have to admit, I prefer the earlier works. Beautiful word pictures of an abandoned wood pile in the woods, a dirty patch of snow (or is it a piece of newspaper), and of course, a horse stopping by the woods on a snowy evening. His latter poems lack the beautiful simplicity of his earlier works, but nevertheless, they are still works of the master.

Over the years, this book has been a constant companion. Sitting in my wingback chair, I have enjoyed reading these poems again and again. As I prepared for this review I was struck how many of these poems dealt with death: The Death of the Hired Man, After Apple Picking, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, A Late Walk among them. Others are fanciful such as The Kitchen Chimney.

If you are considering taking a dive into poetry, start here. There is no better American poet than Robert Frost.

Some people take vitamins. I read a poem by Robert Frost.
If you'll buy a copy of this book and randomly read a poem a day, you'll soon find yourself saying things more colorfully and provocatively than ever before. A daily diet of Robert Frost will season your language with the unpredictable as you unconsciously begin to phrase your thoughts differently. Unusual combinations of words will appear on your tongue as you say things that have never before been said. Your friends will stop you in mid-sentence to ask, "Did you just make that up?" Your customers will more frequently nod their heads and say "I'll buy it." Your spouse will gaze into your eyes and more often be "in the mood."

Don't be a weenie. Buy the hardback. It's worth the extra few bucks.