Product Description
Rupert Brooke's short life was filled to brimming with drama and romance. Today he is the best known of that extraordinary collection of British Poets of the Great War. Tragically his life was cut short but not before he produced arguably the finest poetry of the 20th Century, the best examples of which are in this book ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Please remove this book...
No poems here, just titles and introductory and other material on Brooke. Amazon should remove it from the list (since it wastes one's time to figure out that the digitization failed somehow).

Empty book - No Poems
There's an introduction, a table of contents, several pages of poem titles, and then an appendix and biographical note about Brooke.

No poetry poetry book
This book purports to be a collection of poetry.However, in my downloaded copy, there are no poems.The links in the table of contents lead to titles only. Perhaps it was scanned in wrong.The introduction is pleasant and you get a list of poems by Brooke.There is also a biographical note.Even a free poetry book ought to have some poems. ... Read more

Product Description
This Halcyon Classics ebook contains the poetry of Rupert Brooke.Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War (especially The Soldier); however, he never experienced combat at first hand. He was also known for his boyish good looks, which prompted the Irish poet William Butler Yeats to describe him as "the handsomest young man in England".Brooke sailed with the British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force bound for Gallipoli in 1915.He died from an infected mosquito bite and was buried in Greece.
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Product Description
And laughterand musicandamong the flowers The gay child-hearts of menand the child-facesO heartin the great dawn! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Poet, Terrible Formatting
I love Rupert Brooke's work, and I was excited to see a "professionally designed" edition available for the Kindle, but to call this professionally designed is an affront to professionals, and design. Some poems ("The Great Lover", among others) have lost all their line breaks; others have weird indentation problems. The headings are reproduced in the same font as the poems themselves.Disastrously, in a collection of poems, the table of contents isn't even linked; it's just a long, plain-text list.

None of these problems are present in even the Gutenberg edition of this same collection, and since that can be sent to one's Kindle for free I see no reason to make the same mistake I did. Find a better collection.

Rupert Brooke's collected poems--great collection!
I was delighted when I discovered a complete collection of Rupert Brooke poetry.I fell in love with this poet as a teenager, and I still marvel at the beauty of the passages.

Amazing poet
Lately I have been studying a lot of different poets and I have to say that I am rather impresses with his writings.This is a definite one to add to your collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Though overshadowed by others, Rupert Brooke's gifts as a poet were palpable; Siegfried Sassoon is known as a talented and prolific writer and poet. Learn much more about both poets with this edition of Bloom's Major Poets, which includes critical analyses and biographies of each writer.

This series is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School. History’s greatest poets are covered in one series with expert analysis by Harold Bloom and other critics. These texts offer a wealth of information on the poets and their works that are most commonly read in high schools, colleges, and universities. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Product Description
"Rupert Brooke, isn't it a romantic name?" wrote Lytton Strachey to Virginia Woolf, after first meeting the man who became the "star" of an exceptionally brilliant generation. But behind the facade of the stunning looks and the golden-boy image a very different Brooke was concealed that was far from romantic - and is now revealed in this utterly candid biography. After cutting a swathe through his contemporaries at Rugby and Cambridge, Brooke became the central figure in two distinct coteries - the homosexual Cambridge secret society "the Apostles" and the "Neo-Pagans", a group of free-thinking young people sworn to a carefree outdoor life of gypsy camps, nude swimming and the great outdoors. This compartmentalism was typical of Brooke - addicted to secrecy, he was loved by both men and women, and was himself highly sexually ambivalent. His boyish charm bowled over (almost) all those who met him - including the contemporary great and good like Asquith, Churchill, H.G. Wells and Henry James. But the surface self-confidence and the effortless literary and social success hid a darker Brooke - revealed in this book.At the height of his promise, a seemingly trivial setback in love propelled Brooke into a complete mental and physical collapse, which stripped him of his defences and brought his inner complexes seething to the surface. ... Read more

Product Description
The correspondence between the English poet Rupert Brooke and his close friend James Strachey here appears in print for the first time. The letters reveal much about the lives and interests of these two gifted young men, the nature of their relationship, and the activities of many illustrious friends such as Lytton Strachey (James's brother), J.M. Keynes, Virginia Woolf, and Bertrand Russell.Amazon.com Review
Rupert Brooke is one of the 20th century's best examples of imagemanagement. After he died of blood poisoning en route to Gallipoli in 1915,the poet's valor and godlike good looks were soon immortalized. He neverhad the chance to prove the former save in a handful of verses that are farfrom his finest, but photographic proof of the latter was unassailable.When Brooke's letters were originally published in 1968, his executor andeditor, Geoffrey Keynes, kept well clear of his extensive correspondencewith James Strachey (brother of Lytton andnow best remembered for his translations of Freud). Keynes went so far asto claim that they would appear in print "over my dead body." Nothing lessthan homosexual panic was at the heart of such hysteria: Brooke was to beforever deified, not damned as a sodomite.

Now Keith Hale has whittled down Brooke and Strachey's letters andpostcards between 1905 and 1914 into a volume in which the inconsequential("Thursday lunch will be admirably suitable") bumps up against history,emotion, and desire. The last few years of their friendship were decidedlyrocky, and Strachey's final words on his complex friend are apposite:"Rupert wasn't nearly so nice as people now imagine; but he was a greatdeal cleverer." Whether you read their correspondence as proof positive ofBrooke's bi- or homosexuality will depend on your views of the construction of sexual identity. But it must be said that the poet'saccount of one schoolboy seduction is written with an icy objectivity thateven Edmund White would envy. These letters remain a fascinating record oflongtime companionship--no matter how you use that term. --KerryFried ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Epistles of Unrequited Love:'Friends and Apostles'
Brooke's heart-stopping good looks are the essence of this epistolatory account of the romantic friendship between James Strachey and England's eternal Golden boy. He who penned the heroically mawkish yet strangely thrilling:'If I should die/ Think only this of me/That there is some corner of a foreign field/ That is forever England' is here revealed through Strachey's eyes in the guise of romantic muse, love object, sex god. Unfortunately for Strachey, his passion was unrequited.

Strachey is be-dazzled by Brooke during their first year at Cambridge, and the subsequent correspondence betrays all the hallmarks of adolescent infatuation: in turns importunate, with Strachey's 'declaration' early in 1906; adulatory:'You were so beautiful tonight';desperate: 'I suppose you know what's wrong with me...I'm in love with you'; ever hopeful: 'Why not come quietly to bed with me instead?' in response to Brooke's request for contraceptive information; finally hopeless: 'The sudden sight of him across a room made my heart...bound ... it's no use...' But it is with a start that one realises that this is no adolescent, but rather a scion of the Stracheys - long time members of the intelligentsia, darlings of the Bloomsbury set - assistant editor of 'the Spectator', putative translator of Freud.

And herein lies the fascination. Keith Hale's painstakingly edited and annotated edition of the correspondence vividly presents Strachey's personal drama of unstinting adulation of the man seemingly pursued by a host of admirers of both sexes, but also features most of England's literati and glitterati in supporting roles. Here are Vanessa and Clive Bell, Virginia Woolf, Maynard Keynes, society hostess Lady Ottoline Morrell, together with representatives of an older order - Thomas Hardy, not to mention Henry James who, for goodness sake, Brooke cycles off to call on at Lamb House as casually as if he were the man next door! And interspersed with these semi-mythical figures are the domestic details that form an integral part of Brooke and Strachey's lives.The trivia is engrossing, with its train timetables, motorbuses and postal orders: 'I'll enclose the tickets and a postal order for 10/6.'

But we never stray far from the central motif - that of Strachey's heart-sickness for Brooke. Coupled with our fascination, though,is also the uncomfortably voyeuristic sensation of being privy to Strachey's intimate yearnings and his longing makes for painful reading: 'It is You and my love that makes the universe magical....' and one finds oneself wishing that Brooke could have been kinder.

Hence it is with a start that one reads Brooke's own account of his seduction of a former university acquaintance. One wonders what the besotted Strachey could have made of his graphic and lengthy account of the physical details of his night in bed with Denham Russell-Smith. Brooke's literary executor Geoffrey Keynes vowed that the uncensored Brooke letters would be published 'over my dead body.' And such has certainly been the case as it is only since Keynes' death that the letters have been released.

Brooke's image makers certainly knew how to 'spin', and it is really only now, nearly 90 years later, that we have a clearer view of Brooke the man as opposed to the legend. Perhaps Strachey's words on Brooke , many years following his death, are the most revealing: 'He was not nearly as nice as people now believe him, but a great deal cleverer.'

A period piece worth reading
Much is being made about what this book reveals about Brooke's sexuality, but the main reason for reading it is that it is simply very interesting and educational.One learns so much one never knew about so many of themajor literary and political figures in Georgian England.Hale'simpressive footnotes are as enjoyable as the letters themselves.

candid and erotic
This is probably the closest thing to a Brooke autobiography that the world will ever see.Because of Hale's useful editorial material and his thorough annotations, the letters provide as complete a story of Brooke asmost of his biographies.And because Brooke shows sides of himself toStrachey that have been hitherto suppressed by his executors, the bookprovides a more complex, personal view of Brooke than do his previouslypublished letters or his travel journals.Of particular interest are hisgraphic description of seducing the younger brother of one of his friends;Strachey's account of a sexual rendezvous involving Duncan Grant, JohnMaynard Keynes, and a Cockney youth; the account of Strachey being pursuedby the famous mountain climber, George Mallory; and Brooke's insane,vulgar, and disturbing ramblings following his nervous collapse in 1912. It's quite an interesting read, really. ... Read more

Product Description
Yet Boston is alive. It sits, in comfortable middle-age, on the ruins of its glory. But it is not buried beneath them. It used to lead America in Literature, Thought, Art, everything. The years have passed. It is remarkable how nearly now Boston is to New York what Munich is to Berlin. Boston and Munich were the leaders forty years ago. They can't quite make out that they aren't now. It is too incredible that Art should leave her goose-feather bed and away to the wraggle-taggle business-men. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

America in the early 20th century
A fascinating picture of North America in the first years of the 20th century seen through the eyes of a young Englishman from the establishment making a grand tour of America rather than Europe. It is in the tradition of 'travel books' of the period - his impressions of a strange land - and thus also tells us something about people of his class and country.

Would make good waiting room reading
I had high hopes for this one as a travel journal of a young person seeing America for the first time sounded interesting. There were some interesting observations Brookes made, such as determining that New York was a "real city" after seeing trash and dead cats and dogs in the river lol. But for the most part, for me the book never really got above being mildly cute and entertaining. While Brooke does write more maturely as a young twenty something in the early 1900s than most would today, his overexcitement over his mostly mundane topics is distracting.Another disappointment was the Henry James intro. Much as I like Henry James, I felt like I read 1/2 the book just trying to get through that intro. Go ahead and glance at this one if you're not particular about what to read or if nothing else is around. Otherwise, there are much more rewarding books out there.

More people should know Brooke for his prose; it is elegant.
Although "Letters From America" was actually a series of articles that represents the only time in Rupert Brooke's life when he had a paying job,they work well as a book. Written at a juncture in the poet's life when he suffered from considerable emotional strain in his personal relationships, "Letters" is his record of the world beyond England.It is perceptive, elegant writing. Very personal, very interesting (not only for its picture of North America in the early part of this century, but also for its picture of Brooke, with all of his foibles and prejudices).Had he lived through WWI, Rupert Brooke could have been an outstanding prose writer, as "Letters" suggests. Unfortunately, it was not to be. ... Read more

Product Description
Contents Include 1905-1908 Second Best Day that I have Loved Sleeping Out-Full Moon In Examination Pine-Trees and the Sky:Evening Wagner The Vision of the Archangels Seaside On the Death of Smet-Smet The Song of the Pilgrims The Song of the Beasts Failure Ante Aram Dawn The Call The Wayfarers The Begginer EXPERIMENTS-Choriambics-I CHORIAMBICS-II Desertion 1908-1911 Sonnet:Oh! Death will find me, etc GRANTCHESTER-The Old Vicarage, Grantchester OTHER POEMS Beauty and Beauty Song, etc THE SOUTH SEAS Mutability Clouds A Memory, etc 1914 The Treasure Peace Safety The Dead The Soldier ... Read more

Product Description
And laughterand musicandamong the flowers The gay child-hearts of menand the child-facesO heartin the great dawn! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

a poet... that is "for ever England".
I happened upon the poetry of Rupert Brooke in an old old (truly ancient) used bookstore in a serene corner of Vancouver Island... something about this aged, sepia-colored, hardcover beauty of a book made me feel it had been abandoned by someone else and left there especially for me to find. The rest of the day I was on the beach with it, and each new page further convinced me that I had stumbled upon greatness. Each phrase carried a thoughtful hush along with it, and I felt that to breathe was an interruption. Time and time again I have been brought back to the poetry of Brooke, and this collection has become one of my treasures. Someone abandoned it for me to find, and yet it has become something I would run back into a burning house to retrieve.

These are brief poems about love and longing, doubts, serenity,nature and goodness, frivolity, victory and jealousy, and stirring wartime sonnets that express a noble idealism in the face of death. These latter are grouped under the author's title of "1914" and are his most well-known series, perhaps not only because of their perfection, but also because of their prophetic nature. Brooke lived a brief but eventful life (1887-1915). With the outbreak of World War I he was commissioned in England's Royal Navy, and took part in a disastrous expedition at Antwerp which ended in retreat. At the age of 27, he died from blood-poisoning on board a French hospital ship off the coast of Skyros, Greece. He was buried at night, by torchlight, in an olive grove about a mile inland. Reportedly, if you go there you will find a little wooden cross with just his name and the date of his birth and his death marked on it in black. The fifth poem (entitled The Soldier) in Brooke's sonnet sequence begins... "If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England."

Brooke is phenomenal!
I first picked up this book in my local library when I was in high school at the tail-end of the 1980s. It totally changed my life. I knew I was a poet/writer from an early age, but reading Rupert Brooke's work really inspired me to dig deeper within myself and be a better writer. With the exception of Dylan Thomas and William Blake, Brooke was the one writer I admired above all others. I have carried this book around with me for the past13 years, and whenever I need inspiration I read his poems. Although I don't find all of them to my taste, there are some that stand out above all others, most notably "The Call", "The Voice", "Success" and "Ambarvalia" - some of these are incredible mystic poems that inspired a lot of my simliar work. I would advise anyone interested in the war era poets, or just darn good poetry, to look this one up. It's awesome. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1922. This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Strikingly handsome, charming, and gifted, the English poet Rupert Brooke was the embodiment of a generation that was all but destroyed between 1914 and 1918. Here, Brooke’s body of work emerges dramatically from a romantic and tangled life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent book
I've read almost every book written by or about Rupert Brooke and this is the best one. There are a lot of poems that aren't in the Collected Poems and can only be found in this book. It's gives the most complete look intohis life as more things about him become available over the years.

more of a query
wish this WAS a review......i can't get hold of the book,its presently out of stock...i'm an avid lover of anything to do with rupert brooke..and would love to hear anyones review on the mike read book...to appease mewhile i wait for it to come back!:)

A great source of information on a priorly scarce subject.
Rupert Brooke has been an infatuation of mine for several years. I have searched for information to little avail, running into a mere paragraph here or there on my favorite poet. I can't describe my enjoyment of havingan entire book devoted to him! I couldn't put it down, and if anything,Brooke has only grown in my favor. Amazon's service was incredible, and Ilook forward to more purchases in the future. If you haven't read Brooke orordered from Amazon, it is my suggestion you do!

Another time, another place...
A very interesting biography, well researched andproviding an insightinto a different time.What afascinating time to have lived before suchchanges in the World.Mike Read allows us to feel thisfree spiritedlifestyle of Brookes and Read's passion for the subject comes through inthis which is more than just a biography but a record of events and changes in the lives of those associated with Brooke. Well researched andhighly recommended.

For a minor poet, Rupert Brooke still fascinates.
Rupert Brooke has been dead for 83 years and in his lifetime, only published one (slim) book of poetry. But the man was fascinating, no question about it, and is still the subject of biographies. This latest, by Mike Read, was a delightful surprise, not only in that it exists at all, but also that it brings new facts to light.Read traveled to the places Brooke knew which gives an added perspective to the story. In some cases, we read Brooke's own descriptions and then learn how the places fared over the years. It's a nice touch.Clearly, Read is much impressed and enamoured by Brooke -- more so than some other biographers. Sometimes, this gets in the way. For example, in dealing with Brooke's sexual identity and experiences, the author makes assumptions that are based on hope but not fact. Also, he never mentions any of Brooke's prejudices which feature so largely in his prose (Letters From America, for example) and even some of the poetry. They are glaring omissions.The photographs are very nice, some I don't think I have ever seen except in the Modern Archives at King's College, Cambridge. The most eye-catching one, however, is of a woman Read describes as Brooke's daughter. Not only is this an amazing photo, but it's a pretty amazing fact as well--one based on the most tenuous of circumstantial evidence. To my knowledge, neither the existence of Brooke's "daughter" nor her photo has ever been presented asfact before. I, for one, would like to have seen more of the background evidence, as this is quite an extraordinary suggestion.I enjoyed Forever England and am grateful to Amazon for locating it when other booksellers could not. ... Read more