The Complete English Poems (Penguin Classics)

Finally, I've found a poet I really like reading. Donne's poems suit me more than Shakespeare's sonnets or Poe's verse, and apart from someone like Yvor Winters, I just don't get modern poetry (apologies to Sylvia Plath fans). What rings well with me is, well, ringing well! Reading a poem out loud with a bit of drama should just sound good. That's why rap and hip hop can really be considered poetry (well, some rap and hiphop anyway). A great example of this is Shakespeare's sonnet 129 (The expense of spirit in a waste of shame/Is lust in action; and till action, lust...). Most (not all) of Shakespeare's sonnets are harder to understand than this one, which is why they don't resonate with me as well as I'd like. Donne on the other hand is different; most of what he writes in English sounds good and is immediately understandable. Not that I understand everything in these poems, there are many contemporary allusions that are lost on me, but there's enough in there that sounds very good to allow me to right away enjoy myself. Here are two great lines, which open the sonnet "Community", to illustrate what I mean by good sound. Good we must love, and must hate ill, For ill is ill, and good good still... There are problems, themselves interesting, that bring discord to a poem. For instance in Donne's England "love" rhymed with "prove" but because today these words don't, a couplet with this rhyme is marred to our 21st century ears. A personal note: I was in bed reading "Soul Made Flesh" about the discovery that the brain is the seat of consciousness, made by Oxford scholars in 17th century England. I had reached an account of how large audiences of curious onlookers gathered to see doctors perform autopsies. I put the book down and decided to dip into Donne before going to sleep. I flipped out when I read The Damp's opening lines: When I am dead, and doctors know not why, And my friends' curiosity Will have me cut up to survey each part... Talk about serendipity! Now if I had just read an explanation of these lines in the notes, they would not have meant much to me. But because reading "Soul Made Flesh" had transported me into Donne's England for a few moments, the dramatic effect of the opening was multiplied immensely. In a nutshell, I find that I love Donne and I recommend this comprehensive easy-to-carry well-annotated edition. My only negative comment is that the editing is a bit unimaginative: the editor places the sonnets in alphabetical order of title simply because there is no accepted canonical ordering... Oh well. Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

If you love John Donne's poetry, then this is a must have collection of his poetry. If you have a Kindle, this is a functional way to take this collection with you. I have the paper volume and it is significantly larger than a Kindle Fire. So, after a "look inside" I purchased this for my Kindle. The Kindle version is as accessible as the paper volume and it retains the same page layout and spacing for the poems. The five stars are weighted towards the contents, which consist of his religious, irreligious, social, insightful, and comical poetry - usually with multiple catagories coexisting in the individual poem you're reading. The fact that the Kindle version does a good job in retaining accessability and visual layout keeps the five star rating intact.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my husband. The book itself looks very good and will make a great addition to his library of romantic poets. In looking it over I see that it is annotated, which I was happy to see. I may snitch this book after New Years and get acquainted with his poetry myself.

Excellent item, support and service :)!!!

This book arrived in the best condition and was early in arriving as well! This seller is the best! Can't say enough good things or recommend them highly enough!

To those who love Donne, there can be only one equivalent poet - Shakespeare. Donne's intellect, understanding of human emotion and sensitivities are remarkable, and his use of language to evoke and describe emotion is wonderful. But let's be honest; Donne to the modern reader can be opaque. Footnotes serving as a virtual translation are essential, and only a few will put up with this. But what a reward! Donne to the attentive listener is a wonderful guide to human nature and its intricacies. What a glorious experience!

This is a massive volume with detailed notes and a preface worth reading. I am reading the Holy Sonnets. Who could not like them? I love reading them at night.

Got this for my mom. She loves Donne. She seemed happy to get it, said it was perfect reading material before going to sleep at nights. Short, peaceful poems...

This is about the Everyman's Hardcover book. I have five or six versions of Donne's English poetry with me; all of these are supplemented by essays and emendations, but this version is simply the best of all. This is because the editor has avoided too much elaboration, and has consulted all the sources to give us alternate versions wherever relevant. He has done all the work for us. What he leaves us is the best Donne (for those who have a taste for his poetry and prose). The works are suitably organized into sonnets, love poems, elegies, and epigrams. There is no high-sounding theory about metaphysical poetry; indeed there is no reference to that misused critical term. Quite rightly, he points out that there is just one Donne, there was no "school" founded by Donne, and he falls in and out of public favour just like the fashions of the day. The excellent dust jacket shows "Jack" Donne resting after one of his jaunts, who would later transform into "Doctor" Donne, Britain's most valued preacher. The dust jacket was torn in the middle, but that's nothing, I have patched it up with sellotape, and it is just lovely. Spine #5 on Everyman's Library Classics.

The intro essay is a bit short and general; more of a critique of Donne’s style and versification. Still, there is enough info to get some context on his work. Probably Norton’s edition could be a great complement for this! This one’s also available on Amazon. The edition itself is gorgeous, with minimal notes for understanding older english. Everyman is always collectible: high paper quality beautiful binding. Looks great on any bookshelf!

It was wonderful to have in my possession once more, my lost copy of the Complete English Poetry of John Donne.

Literally. He was an exceptional soul, thinker and poet. Who wrote exceptionally beautifully. Exquisite!

I love his love poetry, not so keen on his later works, but the beauty of it still has the power to draw me in. Studied Donne for English A level (a very long time ago) and have just rebought and reread this great collection after moving to a new country and needing periodic doses of Englishness to reconnect to. A great collection of verse from a wonderful poet, The information about his life and significant dates is a real bonus.