Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Nicely organised collection of great poetry |
| Disadvantages: |
Doesn't provide much detail about each poet/poem |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
I have leafed through this collection countless times. It is versatile and diverse, which reflects the minds of the nation. This anthology is really more for pleasure than study, because it doesn't contain much commentary.
The poems are organised in order of rating, and Rudyard Kipling's 'If' is the first entry. My personal favourite is Shakespeare's Sonnet 116, but there are also some great pieces by the likes of Yeats, Carol Ann Duffy and Matthew Arnold.
The anthology is wide-ranging, but it is clear to see the prominence of certain genres within it. For instance, many of the poems are by well-reputed, canonical poets. There is a sprinkling of the contemporary, but very little of the very contemporary.
When I read poetry, the thing that strikes me first is the form, and the content comes second. But it is the content that has the more powerful, lasting impact on me. By this I mean the sentiments that the poet seeks to express from her heart, through her pen. This anthology has provided a way for me to satisfy my many mood swings with its various themes: youth and age, love and loss, mortality and eternity.
I would recommend this anthology to all lovers of poetry, particularly if their interest is more personal than academic. It would also work as a lovely gift for anyone who you care about - but only if you're not afraid to sound sentimental.
Of course, this anthology operates within a time frame, because the tastes of the nation are likely to change, as new forms of poetry emerge. Nevertheless, I can guarantee that this anthology will not become out-dated: the poems in it are timeless.
