The Golden Treasury of Poetry

Louis Untermeyer

Golden Press, 1959 - Juvenile Nonfiction - 324 pages

A collection of poems from first ones to learn, to ones about animals, nonsense, story poems, people, and just funny by such American and British poets as William Blake, Carl Sandburg, Ogden Nash, John Ciardi, and James Riley.

Contents

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: 8
• Pirate Story Robert Louis Stevenson: 27
• Laughing Song William Blake: 33

About the author

Louis Untermeyer was born in 1885 in New York City. He was a poet, anthologist, and editor. Untermeyer was known for his wit and his love of puns. For a while, he held Marxist beliefs, writing for magazines such as The Masses. He advocated that the U.S. should stay out of World War 1. After the suppression of that magazine by the U.S. government, he joined The Liberator, published by the Workers Party of America. Later he wrote for the independent socialist magazine The New Masses. He was a co-founder of "The Seven Arts," a poetry magazine that is credited for introducing many new poets, including Robert Frost. In 1950, Untermeyer was a panelist during the first year of the What's My Line? television quiz program. According to Bennett Cerf, Untermeyer would sign virtually any piece of paper that someone placed in front of him, and Untermeyer inadvertently signed a few Communist proclamations. He was named during the hearings by the House Committee on Un-American Activities investigating communist subversion. At that point, the producers told Untermeyer that he had to leave the television series. The controversy surrounding Untermeyer led to him being blacklisted by the television industry. Louis Untermeyer was the author or editor of close to 100 books, from 1911 until his death in 1977. Many of his books and his other memorabilia are preserved in a special section of the Lilly Library at Indiana University. Schools used his Modern American and British poetry books widely, and they often introduced college students to poetry. Joan Anglund Walsh is the author and illustrator of books for all ages. Her illustrations feature round faced characters with no mouths. Her first title was "A Friend is Someone Who Likes You." This along with her other titles have been published worldwide in more than 12 languages. She has been honored by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois for her contribution to art and literature. On March 9, 2021, she died of natural causes at her home in Connecticut. She was 95.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Golden Treasury of Poetry; Volume 852 of Golden books
• Editor: Louis Untermeyer
• Illustrated by: Joan Walsh Anglund
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Golden Press, 1959
• ISBN: 0307608522, 9780307608529
• Length: 324 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Nonfiction / Poetry / General; Poetry / European / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh; Poetry / General