- Title: Longfellow’s Poems
- Year Published: 1900/This Edition: 1901 (A.L. Burt Company, Publishers)
- Year Purchased: Unknown
- Source: My Step-grandmother
- About: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the great American poet of the 19th century, is remembered for Evangeline, Paul Revere’s Ride, and The Song of Hiawatha.
- Motivation: This is another book that I ended up with after my Step-grandmother’s death nearly 20 years ago; it was given to her by her mother, who had been a school teacher during The Great War. This beautifully preserved volume was, I thought then, something of a reward for having been frightened by my stepfather’s severe (yet kindly enough) Grandmother Doris. During the few years that I knew her, when she was in her nineties, she was every inch the prim, dour school marm. Each encounter with her was like an inspection, where I was assessed head to foot then grilled about my school work. In her presence, I instinctively knew not to speak until spoken to; fortunately, simply being in the same room with her cowed me (and my natural chattiness) to the point of panicky muteness.
- Times Read: 1
- Random Excerpt/Page vii: “The reader observes also the absence of the wit and humor which is almost universal in poets. While Longfellow was always cheerful, he was never droll.”
- Happiness Scale: 7 1/2
English: Engraving of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, presumably after a portrait by Samuel Lawrence. From the book The Song of Hiawatha, Moscow, 1931. Published by OGIZ. Sepia. Русский: Генри Лонгфелло. Портрет. “Песнь о Гайавате”. ОГИЗ – Молодая гвардия – 1931. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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I’ve always been kinda lukewarm on Longfellow. So I share your 7/10 for enthusiasm, although mine might be closer to a 5! LOL
Me, too. I recognize his skill but am rarely moved. My happiness scale involves more than just straight-up quality or reading experience, or the book would have earned a lower rate. The book itself makes me happy; it is 111 years old, in pristine condition, it is a beautiful volume and it has personal meaning. Thus, the higher score.
Oh definitely. Old books, especially, are works of art in themselves. They don’t make them like that anymore! Well, occasionally they do, but it’s rare.
I love old books; they are so hard for me to resist. Plus, people like to give me old books (and old things in general) because they know that I will appreciate them!
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