Classic Poetry

January - the first month of the year in the Gregorian calendar ushers in the New Year. the cold and bleak landscape of winter nevertheless provides a rich background for our esteemed poets, such as Byron, Longfellow, Cowper, and Dickinson, to offer us their reflections and counterpoints.

With classics such as ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’ Robert Browning’s status as one of the great Victorian poets will always be secure in popular culture, while for the more literary he is considered a master of dramatic verse and dramatic monologues. It is interesting to note that his career bloomed late. Indeed, it was only after the death of his wife Elizabeth in 1861 and his return to England from their life in Italy that his work came into wider acceptance and critical acclaim.

William Wordsworth was born on the 7th of April, 1770 and is rightly regarded as a major English poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature. His words have been proffered by many a tongue around the world. They stir, they inspire they create lyrical pictures and feelings as few others can. Wordsworth's was also Britain's Poet Laureate from his appointment by Queen Victoria in 1843 until his death in on the 23rd of April 1850.

Down through the millennia the emotion of love has inspired countless poets to great heights of lyrical expression. In this volume listeners can sample great love poems by English and American poets. Spanning over four centuries of literary creation in the service of amour, the works include a selection of Shakespeare's sonnets, John Donne's "The Ecstasy", William Blake's "The Garden of Love", Robert Burns' "The Banks o'Doon" and "John Anderson My Jo", Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty", and more.

A collection of eclectic poetry penned by three kings of Pulp fiction from the 1930s. Songs of Giants: The Poetry of Pulp is a collection of 26 poems by writers H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Robert E. Howard. Inspired by the illustrated book of the same name by artist Mark Wheatley.

Universally admired and quoted, Shakespeare’s Sonnets have love, beauty and the passing of time at their heart. Featuring some of the best-known and best-loved lines in the history of poetry (‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?’, ‘Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds’), these evocative sonnets explore passion, the fleeting nature of beauty and the essence of true and everlasting love.

We all love animals, even if sometimes its only from afar on TV or at a zoo. But many of us have felt a closer friendship and companionship with our friends in the animal world. We talk and react to them as if they really do understand us. Perhaps they do. In this volume Hardy, Thackeray, Carroll, DH Lawrence, Emily Dickinson, and many others share their words with our ears.

Da “La sera fiesolana” a “La pioggia nel pineto”, da “Novilunio” a “Undulna” e “Hortus Conclusus”, 13 visioni dal genio sublime di Gabriele d’Annunzio. Immerso nell’incanto della stagione alcionia, un’estate ricca e piena che va a stemperarsi nell’incipiente autunno, il poeta si addentra nei tempi e negli spazi del mondo naturale.

Da "La mia sera" a "Il gelsomino notturno", da "Romagna" a "La cavalla storna", 20 scene dall'universo poetico di Giovanni Pascoli. Suoni e colori della natura indagati con sguardo scientifico eppure vibrante, piccoli mondi nascosti filtrati attraverso il velo del ricordo, per un viaggio nella memoria che è insieme il canto nostalgico di una terra.

Who but Mark Twain could express humor about the obituaries? In the end, however, we come face to face with an editorial bent Twain discovered (or slightly embellished) in postmortem poetry. An odd bit of honor, humor, and an example of what not to share in an obituary from one of the greatest American writers. Narrated by Glenn Hascall.

Timeless poetry for moments of reflection and contemplation. The masters of literature brought together in this unique program.

GS Fraser, John Laurie and Frederick Worlock amongst others read a collection of Scotland's finest poetry featuring Robert Burns, William Dunbar, Mark Alexander and Hugh MacDiarmid.

Dame Edith Evans reads the poetry of Lord Byron, William Blake, and William Shakespeare amongst many others.

Academy Award winning actor Robert Donat reads a selection of his favourite poetry including Greater Love by Wilfred Owen, Ode To Melancholy by John Keats and On Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth.

This anthology has been in the making for some years in the mind of the editor, Dione Venables, founding member of The Orwell Society. In 2006 she contributed the postscript to her cousin Jacintha Buddicom's memoir about the childhood and early youth of George Orwell. She continues to work for greater clarity and appreciation of the great man's genius and felt that this emotional layer of perception had been largely ignored by academia.

Jenny Lewis relocates Gilgamesh to its earlier, oral roots in a Sumerian society where men and women were more equal, the reigning deity of Gilgamesh’s city, Uruk, was female (Inanna), only women were allowed to brew beer and keep taverns and women had their own language - emesal. With this shift of emphasis, Lewis captures the powerful allure of the world’s oldest poem and gives it a fresh dynamic while creating a fast-paced narrative for a new generation of listeners.

If ever a writer needed an introduction, Arthur Conan Doyle would not be considered that man. After all, Sherlock Holmes is perhaps the most well-known literary detective of any age. Add to this canon his stories, his historical novels, his political campaigning, and his efforts in establishing a Court Of Appeal, and there is little room for anything else. Except he was also a poet. Not perhaps the finest but his distinctive voice is certainly evident amongst his lines and verses. And it’s a voice worth listening to; something very different from what you might expect.

Everything You Need to Know About The Divine Comedy is a comprehensive guide that provides a synopsis, a description of the characters, and a summary and analysis of every chapter. You can use this as a guide while you listen, or as a way to brush up on everything you once knew and since forgot.

“A Child’s Garden of Verses” includes 15 sweet rhyming poems paired with beautiful music. Included are “At the Seaside,” “Autumn Fires,” “The Swing,” “The Land of Nod,” and more! A perfect way to encourage early literacy skills, the rhyming verses will soon become a family favorite.

Penguin presents the downloadable audiobook edition of Old MacDonald Had a Farm and Other Classics Nursery Rhymes. This entertaining downloadable audiobook collection from Ladybird contains 29 of the best-loved nursery rhymes and songs that children know and love from home, nursery and school. With jaunty music and characterful singers, it's perfect sing-along fun for adults and children alike.