Product Description

The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats includes all of the poems authorized by Yeats for inclusion in his standard canon. Breathtaking in range, it encompasses the entire arc of his career, from luminous reworkings of ancient Irish myths and legends to passionate meditations on the demands and rewards of youth and old age, from exquisite, occasionally whimsical songs of love, nature, and art to somber and angry poems of life in a nation torn by war and uprising. In observing the development of rich and recurring images and themes over the course of his body of work, we can trace the quest of this century's greatest poet to unite intellect and artistry in a single magnificent vision.

Revised and corrected, this edition includes Yeats's own notes on his poetry, complemented by explanatory notes from esteemed Yeats scholar Richard J. Finneran. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats is the most comprehensive edition of one of the world's most beloved poets available in paperback.Amazon.com Review
William Butler Yeats, whom many consider this century'sgreatest poet, began as a bard of the Celtic Twilight, revivinglegends and Rosicrucian symbols. By the early 1900s, however, he wasmoving away from plush romanticism, his verse morphing from theincantatory rhythms of "I will arise and go now, and go toInnisfree" into lyrics "as cold and passionate as thedawn." At every stage, however, Yeats plays a multiplicity ofpoetic roles. There is the romantic lover of "When You AreOld" and "A Poet to His Beloved" ("I bring youwith reverent Hands / The books of my numberless dreams..."). Andthere are the far more bitter celebrations of Maud Gonne, who neveraccepted his love and engaged in too much politicking for his taste:"Why should I blame her that she filled my days / With misery, orthat she would of late / Have taught to ignorant men most violentways, / Or hurled the little streets upon the great, / Had they butcourage equal to desire?" There is also the poet ofconscience--and confrontation. His 1931 "Remorse for IntemperateSpeech" ends: "Out of Ireland have we come. / Great hatred,little room, / Maimed us at the start. / I carried from my mother'swomb / A fanatic heart."

Yeats was to explore several more sides of himself, and of Ireland,before his Last Poems of 1938-39. Many are difficult, somesnobbish, others occult and spiritualist. As BrendanKennelly writes, Yeats "produces both poppycock and sublimityin verse, sometimes closely together." On the other hand, manyprophetic masterworks are poppycock-free--for example, "TheSecond Coming" ("Turning and turning in the widening gyre /The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / Things fall apart; the centrecannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...") andsuch inquiries into inspiration as "Among School Children"("O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, How can we knowthe dancer from the dance?"). And at his best, Yeats extends themeaning of love poetry beyond the obviously romantic: love becomes arevolutionary emotion, attaching the poet to friends, history, and thepassionate life of the mind. --Kerry Fried ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

Yeats' collected poems
The book arrived in very good condition, and I'm quite pleased with it; there was one page in the beginning torn out, but it wasn't important, and didn't have a poem on it.
I was just curious to know what it was

Yeats
the book was very used, quite old, and had writing all through it {notes from classes?} the poems are still good though

An Extensive Survey of Yeats' Career
I have yet to read through the entire book, but then again this is not the kind of book you sit down with and read page after page in order. You can, but don't have to. I have best enjoyed this book by pulling it off the shelf from time to time and reading a poem or two, mulling them over, then returning the book to the shelf. Collected works of poetry can start to bleed together when I read too many individual poems in one sitting, and the beauty of a work like this is that I can keep coming back to it and find new poetry. It's a thick, beautiful book that should be on the shelf of anyone who enjoys poetry or even for someone starting to get interested in Yeats (such as myself when I bought it). This volume will last you a long time and keep you coming back for more every time you open it up.

Poor formatting on Kindle
+ 5 stars for content
- Formatting on Kindle is not good
When viewing last page of poem, the title of next poem is seen on bottom of Kindle page in large bold print.
I find this distracting

One of the Best English Poets in an Inexpensive, Complete Edition
W. B. Yeats enjoyed a long, successful, and productive poetic career lasting from the late Victorian era through 1939. More notably, besides Thomas Hardy and in great contrast to, say, William Wordsworth and Alfred Tennyson, he is probably the only English poet who not only continued to write up until his death but also produced some of his best work in later years. Many, including me, indeed think his last work his best. He wrote some of the most famous poems of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and is certainly one of the greatest poets of the latter. His long career, coupled with the many personal, philosophical, political, and other changes he went through, ensured that his work can be conveniently divided into three distinct eras. The first has a self-consciously ornate style heavily influenced by Romanticism and pre-Raphaelite imagery. Some of his earliest works have cosmopolitan subjects, but most of the first era is concerned with Irish folklore and mythology. Yeats had a deep abiding interest in this material and is one of its most articulate and memorable exponents, playing a large role in its becoming an important part of Western culture. His second period is often described as being influenced by younger Modernist poets, but I see little connection between his work and theirs, particularly as he remained wed to traditional forms. However, it is certain that his work underwent a major change. Most obviously, he became more concise, turning exclusively to short, mostly lyrical works at once more direct and more allusive than early writings. These poems have great beauty that can be appreciated on a very simple level but also reveal complex meanings on close study. His subjects also branched out, notably including several great political works, though he retained a strong Irish focus. Yeats' third period may almost be seen as a mix of the first two. He returned to some early subject matter, but the style was more like the second era's. More importantly, his work became more and more personal, even at times confessional - as well as more explicitly sexual, very interesting considering his old age. This shows itself not least in the mystical thought that came to dominate his last few decades. He had always been interested the occult, but many of his poems just before and after his 1925 non-fiction work A Vision are heavily colored by what might almost be called a self-created mythology. Some deride this, finding it intellectually shallow or even simply crackpot, but it certainly led to many interesting and important poems and set him apart.

A collected edition is thus ideal for many reasons, his consistent excellence being most obvious. Perhaps no poet is more suited to being read in full, because it brings out several elements that would be overlooked, or even missed altogether, by reading Yeats sporadically. First, despite his three widely different periods, he always focused intensely on a small number of themes, love and Ireland being primary. Second and relatedly, unlike many poets, he is notable for constantly returning to a handful of metaphors - rose, gyre, tower, etc. -, constantly refining and expanding their meaning. It is fascinating to see how his use and understanding of these symbols developed and how their various uses play off each other.

There are several widely available collected editions that differ more in presentation than content. This features all the poems Yeats authorized, painstakingly edited to ensure accuracy - nearly four hundred in all over about 450 pages including the short closet drama The Shadowy Waters. As this suggests, Yeats was not especially prolific for someone with such a long career, but he was a consummate craftsman. The poems are laid out chronologically, following the order Yeats set out in his 1933 collected works plus later additions. We thus basically get every Yeats poem just as he wanted them to be read. It is an extremely valuable collection - a veritable goldmine for anyone who loves great poetry, Irish history and culture, or simply great literature period.

Whether this particular collected edition is ideal depends on what is needed. It includes many pages of notes with basic information about allusions and historical references. Anyone wanting to know only what one must be aware of to understand the poems will find them invaluable. On the other hand, anyone wanting detailed criticism or biographical exposition will be disappointed, especially as there is no scholarly introduction or biographical sketch. However, even some of the former may be annoyed by the format. The information is given as endnotes without identifying marks in the text. This is great for those without need for notes, as no marks or footnotes clog the page. Conversely, it is extremely frustrating to those who want them, as they must constantly flip to the back without knowing when there is a note. The notes also point out things that are extremely obvious to many people - e.g., "Jesus Christ is Son of God in the Christian religion" -, but the editor justifies this by saying Yeats has a worldwide audience, and what is obvious to some is not obvious to all. This is true but will hardly lessen annoyance for many. The editor also elects to repeat information rather than cross-referencing, which will also likely invoke ambivalent reactions. There are two appendices:Yeats' notes to his collected poems up to 1933, with further editorial notes, and musical notation for some of his poems that had been scored. The latter is mostly superfluous, the former extremely valuable. There are also indices by title and first line. Finally, it is easy to object to the book's division into "Lyric" and "Dramatic and Narrative," the latter with only about a dozen entries. It disrupts chronology and is also somewhat arbitrary; several poems in each section arguably belong in the other, and only one in the latter is significantly longer than those in the former. That said, this was Yeats' own system.

All told, this is an excellent edition for anyone wanting Yeats' poems in one book in a portable, readable, inexpensive format. Font size is ample, making for easy reading and giving plenty of room for annotations. Line numbers are also included. These are luxuries usually only available in expensive editions and greatly appreciated. On the negative side, the binding is quite cheap, and one must be somewhat careful with the book if it is to last through multiple readings over years. However, this is a small complaint for such a low-priced, inclusive edition. Those seeking higher quality paper can easily find a more expensive edition to suit them, but the content itself cannot be bettered, and the value is almost unbelievable.
... Read more

Product Description
No other series of classic texts achieves the editorial standard of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with contextual and critical materials that bring the work to life for students. Careful editing, first-rate translation, thorough explanatory annotations, chronologies, and selected bibliographies make each text accessible to students while encouraging in-depth study. Each volume in the series is printed on acid-free paper, and every text remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice of excellence for scholarship for students at more than 2,500 colleges and universities worldwide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Another fine edition of the works of a great poet
There are by this time many collections of the works of Yeats, and this is one of the good ones. Aside from containing the major plays and poems it has critical essays by contemporaries of Yeats and important critical voices of our own time, such as Helen Vendler, Harold Bloom, and the poet Seamus Heaney.
As for the work itself, however historically important the plays, and however of curiosity value 'The Autobiography' and other prose writings the Yeats that lives is in the poetry.
It is that lyrical greatness the power of song manifested early on which later was deepened into even greater poetry. From 'Innisfee' and "Song of the Wandering Aengus ' to the poetry of 'Byzantium' and 'Among the Schoolchildren'.
The great lines, a small sample of which follows"

And we will wander hand in hand / through hollow lands and hily lands/
And pluck till time and times are done/ The silver apples of the moon/ The golden apples of the sun/


"We must lie down where all the ladders start/ in the foul rag and bone shop of the heart."

" The best lack all conviction, and the worst are full of passionateintensity"

"But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you/ and loved the sorrows of your changing face."

Very nice compilation, especially regarding prose!
This is an excellent book, produced with excellent quality. While it isn't the most complete anthology in the world as far as his poems are concerned (for this reason The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats Volume I by Finneran is a much better choice), the prose found within the book are excellent. Another thing worth noting is the lengthily essays by other well known authors which tend to either be criticisms or praise for Mr. Yeats, truly magnificent in that department! Again, the focus of this anthology is much different from other supremely divine works (such as the one previously mentioned). ... Read more

Product Description
I have desired, like every artist, to create a little world out of the beautiful, pleasant, and significant things of this marred and clumsy world, and to show in a vision something of the face of Ireland to any of my own people who would look where I bid them. I have therefore written down accurately and candidly much that I have heard and seen, and, except by way of commentary, nothing that I have merely imagined. I have, however, been at no pains to separate my own beliefs from those of the peasantry, but have rather let my men and women, dhouls and færies, go their way unoffended or defended by any argument of mine. The things a man has heard and seen are threads of life, and if he pull them carefully from the confused distaff of memory, any who will can weave them into whatever garments of belief please them best. I too have woven my garment like another, but I shall try to keep warm in it, and shall be well content if it do not unbecome me. Hope and Memory have one daughter and her name is Art, and she has built her dwelling far from the desperate field where men hang out their garments upon forked boughs to be banners of battle. O beloved daughter of Hope and Memory, be with me for a little. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Inspired Prose
I had heard of William Butler Yeats, and I must say he is quite an excellent poet. The dreams I had of the old worlds came to life in this.

An Excellent Guide to Understanding Yeats' Early Poetry
When Robert Frost (A not very likable fellow, when you read his biographies, despite his excellent poetry.) visited Yeats in Ireland, he made a comment to the effect that, "It's no wonder he believes in faeries."He was responding to the beautiful, mystical Irish landscape Yeats grew up in.This book, even though you're (probably) not in Ireland when you read it, will have you responding much as Frost did.The peasantry have so much of their pagan ancestry in their blood that, despite their ostensible Catholicism, their deep belief in "the little people" comes out as strong as ever when questioned about it.Reading these anecdotes, some of them grafted directly onto Yeats' early poetry, gives them a power they would not have had you not read this book and realized how "here and now" faeryland was to the common people at the time.The Celtic belief that death (into Faeryland)is far more desirable than birth is made beautifully apparent in this book.Hence, by the way, the celebratory Irish wake.Hence also this lovely poem

Heardst thou not sweet words among That Heaven-resounding minstrelsy? Heardst thou not that those who die Awake in a world of ecstacy? That love, when limbs are interwoven, And sleep when the night of life is cloven, And thought, to the world's dim boudaries clinging, And music, when one beloved is singing, Is death?

These sorts of things, as well as Yeats' poetry, are worth deep consideration in this present world where medicine is deemed omnipotent...and yet, nevertheless, we all die. ... Read more

Product Description
Yeats was a master of the traditional forms. The impact of modernism on his work can be seen in the increasing abandonment of the more conventionally poetic diction of his early work in favour of the more austere language and more direct approach to his themes that increasingly characterizes the poetry and plays of his middle period, comprising the volumes In the Seven Woods, Responsibilities and The Green Helmet. His later poetry and plays are written in a more personal vein, and the works written in the last twenty years of his life include mention of his son and daughter, as well as meditations on the experience of growing old. ... Read more

Product Description
A strong visionary poet, Yeats’s work involves concepts of reality that extend human imagination to reach a heightened sense of the world and the myths that shape it. Numerous critics examine his work including such titles as A Vision, The Moods, Leda and the Swan, and But Now I Add Another Thought.

This title, William Butler Yeats, part of Chelsea House Publishers’ Modern Critical Views series, examines the major works of William Butler Yeats through full-length critical essays by expert literary critics. In addition, this title features a short biography on William Butler Yeats, a chronology of the author’s life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University. ... Read more

Product Description
A revised and expanded edition of the classic volume of Yeats' work, including the play The Death of Cuchulain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Yeats is one of the unquestionably great modern poets
Yeats is one of the unquestionably great modern poets.
His poetry has a rich lyrical beauty, and a mystery of myth.
His memorable lines lighten all the anthologies of English poetry.
Whether he is 'lying down where all the ladders start/ in the foul rag and bone shop of the heart' 'or whether he is defining the moral torpor of the age ' the best lack all conviction and the worst are full of passionate intensity' or whether simply singing love lyrically ' And we will wander hand in hand/ through hollow lands and hilly lands/ and pluck till time and times are done/ the silver apples of the moon/ the golden apples of the sun/ he is overwhelming the reader with lines of incredible beauty.
His personal mythology vanity and story may not thrill, but his poetry invariably does. ... Read more

Product Description

This collection was designed for optimal navigation on Kindle and other electronic devices. This collection offers lower price, the convenience of a one-time download, and it reduces the clutter in your digital library. All books included in this collection feature a hyperlinked table of contents and footnotes. The collection is complimented by an author biography.

Customer Reviews (6)

No respect for Yeat's poetry .. choose another edition
Note: this is a new (July 28, 2010) review. I was suckered in, I love Yeats, saw the complaint about the formatting, but also read the publisher's reply that all had been fixed.
I look at the sample (read on), it looks okay, so I buy it, open it to a poem, and see!!!
"The Lake Isle of Innisfree
By William Butler Yeats
Electronically Developed by MobileReference
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree"

next poem.. has

"Electronically Developed by MobileReference
I HAVE heard that hysterical women say"

The "Electronically Developed by" has exactly the same font, size, etc. as the text, with no space between it and the start of the poem (and it's between the Title and first line"
so EVERY poem of Yeats starts with "Electronically .." A Poem's form and layout are as important as the words... this shows a lack of respect for the poet and for the reader..
I've never seen any book published with the publisher's ad tacked on to the beginning of every poem it contains.

I have purchased about 50 Kindle books at this point.. and this is the first one that I'd return for a refund if I could.
Note: The sample has no poetry in it.. so you can't see these problems..
My first and last purchase of any thing "Electronically Developed by MobileReference"

Works of William Butler Yeats
Works of William Butler Yeats (60+ works). Inclds. The Celtic Twilight, Four Years, The Hour Glass,Rosa Alchemica, Stories of Red Hanrahan, Ego Dominus ... Sailing to Byzantium and MORE (mobi)

This is an excellent ebook, produced with excellent quality. It contains Yeat's poetry, dramatic writings, and prose. I would recommend this volume to anyone who enjoys Yeats poetry, plays or short stories and wants a good selection of his work in many fields. It is also the perfect introduction to his work for someone you know who might enjoy this marvellous poet. I first fell in love with Yeats poetry then discovered his plays and prose. Perhaps Yeats is at his finest when reflecting on love, usually unrequited. Yeats manages to produce love poems that have a genuine passion. I am very glad to have acquired this ebook today. This is a glorious ebook of great dignity.

Great poet, amazing compilation!
Works of William Butler Yeats (60+ works). Inclds. The Celtic Twilight, Four Years, The Hour Glass,Rosa Alchemica, Stories of Red Hanrahan, Ego Dominus ... MORE. Published by MobileReference (mobi)

An amazing compilation of Yeats works, while other compilations have notes and essays regarding his works this one has many of his poems all in one ebook. An outstanding ebook to own, beautifully compiled.

Comments from the Publisher
Comments from the Publisher:

We apologize for the inconvenience. The book was corrected on April 20th, 2009. The new version adds the missing link to 'Sailing to Byzantium' and completely resolves the formatting problems.

MobileReference

extremely incomplete edition, carelessly formatted
Any "edition" of Yeats that omits Sailing to Byzantium (hardly an obscure work!) is not worth the money. Here, in addition, find carelessly formatted poems so that (for example) there is no additional line break between the end of one poem and the beginning of another.

Terrible edition. ... Read more

Product Description
This selection of Blake's work was commissioned in 1905 by the firm of George Routledge from W.B. Yeats. Yeats, one of the few poets comparable to Blake, prepared a unique selection of his poetic and prose writings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Caveat Emptor
Inexpensive, but for a reason.A very quixotic selection of Yeats poems; most of the best ones are not there.And, by the way, the reviews on the website are of another book (Yeat's collection of Blake poems).Altogether disappointing. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of Synge and the Ireland of His Time by William Butler Yeats was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT¿, SAT¿, AP¿ (Advanced Placement¿), GRE¿, LSAT¿, GMAT¿ or similar examinations.
PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved. ... Read more

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Commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of his death, this definitive collection includes accurate texts for all of the poems that Yeats is known to have written.Amazon.com Review
William Butler Yeats, whom many consider this century'sgreatest poet, began as a bard of the Celtic Twilight, revivinglegends and Rosicrucian symbols. By the early 1900s, however, he wasmoving away from plush romanticism, his verse morphing from theincantatory rhythms of "I will arise and go now, and go toInnisfree" into lyrics "as cold and passionate as thedawn." At every stage, however, Yeats plays a multiplicity ofpoetic roles. There is the romantic lover of "When You AreOld" and "A Poet to His Beloved" ("I bring youwith reverent Hands / The books of my numberless dreams..."). Andthere are the far more bitter celebrations of Maud Gonne, who neveraccepted his love and engaged in too much politicking for his taste:"Why should I blame her that she filled my days / With misery, orthat she would of late / Have taught to ignorant men most violentways, / Or hurled the little streets upon the great, / Had they butcourage equal to desire?" There is also the poet ofconscience--and confrontation. His 1931 "Remorse for IntemperateSpeech" ends: "Out of Ireland have we come. / Great hatred,little room, / Maimed us at the start. / I carried from my mother'swomb / A fanatic heart."

Yeats was to explore several more sides of himself, and of Ireland,before his Last Poems of 1938-39. Many are difficult, somesnobbish, others occult and spiritualist. As BrendanKennelly writes, Yeats "produces both poppycock and sublimityin verse, sometimes closely together." On the other hand, manyprophetic masterworks are poppycock-free--for example, "TheSecond Coming" ("Turning and turning in the widening gyre /The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / Things fall apart; the centrecannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...") andsuch inquiries into inspiration as "Among School Children"("O body swayed to music, O brightening glance, How can we knowthe dancer from the dance?"). And at his best, Yeats extends themeaning of love poetry beyond the obviously romantic: love becomes arevolutionary emotion, attaching the poet to friends, history, and thepassionate life of the mind.

Though this edition has been reset and revised, the changes are not asshocking as the 1984 edition, which included 100 extra pages of notes,changes in language and punctuation, and, most significantly, aredefinition of the Last Poems. Richard Finneranhas had the courage to reorder the poems according to notes that Yeatsmade shortly before his death. Readers may be surprised to find that"Under Ben Bulben," the poet's powerful andself-mythologizing epitaph, no longer ends the collection, as it hasfor more than 30 years. In its place they will discover the wistful"Politics": "How can I, that girl standing there, / Myattention fix / On Roman or on Russian / Or on Spanishpolitics..." Yet devotees of either ending will agree that thisis a truly necessary volume--indeed, one of the few. As Seamus Heaneywrites, "All readers of Yeats will need this book; when they openit they will feel a surprise like that experienced by St. Brendan theNavigator and his crew when they disembarked upon an island thatturned out to be the back of a dormant sea monster." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A beutiful and worthy item for any library
This is a very beautiful book, handsomely binded and edited. It includes all of Yeats poetry and is very worthy the price. Any poetry lover got have this one. The only complaint is that it does not always includes the early versions of many poems, like "Brown Penny". The version presented here is the last version edited by Yeats and differs very much, at the end, from the most known version. Aside that it is a flawless edition. I truly recommend it.

A Gift
I ordered this as a birthday gift for my husband - he loves it - and so do I...It has turned out to be gift for us both.

The Psalmody of the Free Irish State, and of all free humanity
One may find from Finneran similar collections in the The Yeats Reader: A Portable Compendium of Poetry, Drama, and Prose and his ample collection, similarly titled but briefer, The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. Either may also be found more favorably priced as well, and, more humbly bound, submissive to rough and daily usage.

Nevertheless this is the best you can get, and the price for a Like New or even a New copy is now quite accessible. I am very glad to have acquired mine today, through the great and mighty amazon.

I have the Scribner Collected Poems linked here, which I shall use for my reading copy. This I will place in the shelf of Bibles, for special use, and special times, when settled in arm chair to read, in peace and safety, should that day ever come. This is a glorious book, of great scholarship and dignity, and commands respect.

I refer here to the revised Second Edition published copyright 1997, so wonderful to hold, to find familiar verse, to bear in arms and to read.

Essential reading for any appreciation of Mr. Yeats I have found in Professor Vendler's Our Secret Discipline: Yeats and Lyric Form, which has opened so much to me, not only Mr. Yeats but beyond, into lyric form. I wished it had included a explicit and systematic revelation of his shifting meter as well, but what magnitude there is is ever-expanding.

Please see also Mr. Ellman's study of WB, Yeats, the man and the masks (A Dutton paperback) and Eminent Domain: Yeats Among Wilde, Joyce, Pound, Eliot and Auden.. I now await a recorded version of his work on Yeats, also through the amazon.

In this present volume, so dignified, so glorious, so firm, so stern and serious to hold in hand, certain of its own great worth, we find therefore the most comprehensive collection of Mr. Yeats poetry possible, and the most authoritative. Part one of this 752 page book is titled Lyrical, containing every collection of poetry published in his lifetime, plus other collections, in chronological order, beginning with the 1889 Crossways through the 1899 Wind Among the Reeds through the Wild Swans at Coole of 1919 (containing some of his best known pieces) through the 1928 The Tower, through the Winding Stair and other poems of 1933, which includes Blood and Moon so well explained by Professor Vendler, and the Crazy Jane sequence, through New Poems and Last poems of 1938-9. Of course several collections are skipped in this present list for lack of space.

This first Part also contains "Narrative and Dramatic" Poems beginning with the early Wanderings of Oisin (1889) through to the 1923 Gift of Harun Al-Rashid.

Part Two contains Additional Poems, 129 in all. Then follows Appendix A of Yeat's own notes to his Collected Poems (1933). These from the Poet himself are followed by Finneran's Notes upon those Notes, as in the Scribner collection. Then follows five musical notations for five poems from 1938's New Poems, with notes for the tunes and their traditional origin.

Then comes one hundred pages of explanatory notes original to this editor, who explains what to expect and what not to expect within them. "The purpose of these notes is to annotate all specific allusions in the poems. Annotation of other kinds, as well as interpretive commentary, has been avoided (p. 623)." Along with other avoidances, Finneran mentions ascribing certain personages to certain poems as a slippery slope not to be approached, although traditionally we have assumed certain poems to be "about" someone in Yeats' life, just as we like to assume we know the object of the Sonnets of Shakespeare, including his "Dark Lady." Finneran explains: "This last omission perhaps requires comment, as many readers of Yeats are accustomed to approaching a particular poem 'knowing' that it is about a certain person - be it Maude Gonne, Olivia Shakespear, Margot Ruddock, or whomever. However, firm evidence for many of those identifications is lacking. Moreover it is arguable that Yeats did not wish to narrow the meanings of those poems by presenting them as statements about specific autobiographical situations. A key instance is 'Upon a Dying Lady.' ( . . .) he preferred to present it as a universal statement on death and dying, much as he told Hugh Lane that 'To a Wealthy Man . . .' was addressed to 'an imaginary person' (see note to 114.4)"

I quote this at length to demonstrate the academic rigor of these notes, that they keep to what is provable and not fanciful. We may trust Finneran's judgment and scholarship here in these notes as elsewhere. The notes therefore are not only extensive but based on solid, demonstrable research.

Then follows a few pages of Textual Notes which describe the sources used for the poems, in Part B the copy texts used and in Part B Emendations to the copy texts, with the authority for emendations made. Those requiring further information upon these, Finneran's editorial decisions are referred to his Editing Yeats Poems: A Reconsideration.

Following this helpful section lies the Index of Titles and of course the Index of First Lines.

I hope this brisk walk through this tome has been of some assistance in your search to purchase. Certainly you might have discovered this through the Search Inside feature of the amazon product page, but perhaps this helps in something. Truly this is a book worthy of every home, each library, each university, every hearthside.

Incidentally this is but the first of fourteen volumes collecting every thing known published by Mr. Yeats, with additional materials. The entire series is overseen by Mr. Finneran and George Mills Harper. The second volume contains the The Plays: Vol.2 (The collected works of W.B. Yeats), edited by David R. Clark. Let these small steps begin your acquisition of the full set, well worth it in our darkening post-literate age, in which we lose the power to express the human heart with this power and precision, and glory.

Read this book, and live it, and sing it, and write your own . . .

Excellent Volume
This is a wondedrful collection for anyone who loves Yeats Poetry.I highly recommend it.

The reason to buy this edition
There are two editions of Yeats' poetry with similar titles, this one (The Collected Works of W. B. Yeats:Volume 1:The Poems, edited by Richard Finneran, with 751 pages and published by Macmillan) and The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats (also edited by Finneran, but published by Scribner with only 576 pages).

The Collected Works: Volume 1:The Poems, contains all of Yeats' verse, including the poems from his plays and essays (hence the almost 200 additional pages in length).If you want every poem Yeats wrote, buy this edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A gift for those who love Yeats


This book will prove a pure delight for the person who loves Yeats.

Dr.zilbergeld ... Read more

Product Description
This Halcyon Classics collection contains dozens of works by William Butler Yeats, one of the foremost figures of 20th-Century English-language poetry, drama, and literature.Yeats (1865-1939) is best known for his poetry, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923, the first Irish writer so honored.

Yeats was born and educated in Dublin, studying poetry in his youth.From an early age he was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the century. His earliest volume of poetry was published in 1889.Yeats was also an important figure in the Irish Literary Revival, and a fervent Irish nationalist as well.

This ebook is DRM free and includes an active table of contents with back-linking for easy navigation.

Contents:

Poetry Collections

In the Seven Woods
Michael Robartes and the Dancer
The Celtic Twilight
The Green Helmet and Other Poems
The Wild Swans and Coole


Drama

The Countess Cathleen
The Hour-Glass
The Land of Heart’s Desire
The Unicorn from the Stars


Fiction

Irish Fairy Tales
Rosa Alchemica
Stories of Red Hanrahan
The Secret Rose


Biography

Four Years
Synge and the Ireland of His Time

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Customer Reviews (1)

I LOVE THIS ONE!
I cannot think of a better way to introduce the poetry of William Butler Yeats than this small volume.The selection is excellent and of interest you the young reader.The commentary is quite relevant as are the pictures which accompany it.I find that often now, our young people go all the way through the early grades in school and many of them have never heard of Yeats,much less read his poetry.This was the sort of stuff my generation and the generation before it grew up on and cut our teeth on.I do not feel I am any worse for the wear.I am fearful that we are bringing up an entire generation (rightfully or wrong, although I feel it is the later) of young folks who will have no appreciation to this great art form and will miss a lot.This book helps.This entire series helps, as a matter of fact and I certainly recommend you add this one and the others to your library.Actually, it is rather fun reading these with the young folk and then talking about them.Not only do you get to enjoy the work your self and perhaps bring back some great memories, but you have the opportunity to interact with your child or student.It is actually rather surprising what some of the kids come up with.I read these to my grandchildren and to the kids in my classes at school.For the most part, when I really get to discussing the work with them, they enjoy it.Recommend this one highly. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of Stories of Red Hanrahan by William Butler Yeats was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT¿, SAT¿, AP¿ (Advanced Placement¿), GRE¿, LSAT¿, GMAT¿ or similar examinations.
PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved. ... Read more

Product Description
Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on standardized tests, Webster's paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this edition of Rosa Alchemica by William Butler Yeats was edited for students who are actively building their vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT¿, SAT¿, AP¿ (Advanced Placement¿), GRE¿, LSAT¿, GMAT¿ or similar examinations.
PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved. ... Read more