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Poetry has always been an important part of my life and now that I'm a grandmother I wanted to get my little one a book that she would grow into. THE GIANT BOOK OF POETRY edited by William H. Roetzheim, is a 748-page treasure of some of the world’s best poetry, much of it well known, some of it more obscure. The organization of the book takes the casual reader on an historical tour of language and emotion. At every step new readers and those of us far removed from our college English classes are tutored in the music of poetry with Roetzheim’s notes on meter and form. He also sprinkles definitions throughout the more archaic poems so the reader is not lost. His notes of the possible underlying meaning in some of the poems may bring new readers to greater understanding and appreciation of poetry.

No compilation is perfect but this one is very good. The organization is easy to follow, the notes helpful and clear and the indexes (by author, title, subject and first line) as useful as always. What makes this book stand out is its affable and approachable nature. It is both a friendly and a scholarly book. Whether one has loved poetry one’s entire life or is new to the art there is something here for the reader. Many compilations favor quantity over the long poem; here readers will find the satisfying story and art of several delicious long poems. If there is one unifying thread among these poems from all the world, it is the human experience: the never-ending wonder at life, discovery of love, realization of mortality and the devastating pain of loss. For where novels and stories may describe, and by vivid detail and language bring the reader into some fictitious dream, poetry turns the tale into one’s own and we experience, rather than simply read it. This requires a certain degree of abandonment that some readers will deny. But for those who long to remember the scent of spring’s first rain, the bittersweet longing of young love and the tales of the long-dead gallant, this is an anthology to keep - or perhaps give to one’s grandchild.