# Recommended poetry appreciation books



## Travers (Feb 23, 2013)

Hi all,

I've just about finished Stephen Fry's The Ode Less Travelled and I was wondering if you could recommend some similar books for my continued education in poetry technique?

The Ode Less Travelled is a pretty light read and I'd really like something along the same lines, I'm a bit worried a more dense, educational manual type affair wouldn't hold my interest in quite the same way and I'd get a bit bogged down. But really, anything you could think of would be great.

Thanks, Travers.


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## Bloggsworth (Feb 23, 2013)

*The Secret Life of Poems* in which *Tom Paulin* deconstructs some 40 well known poems and demonstrates why and how they work - Faber ISBN 978-0-571-27871-8

A book which, though not in any way an instuction manual, taught me a lot about the process of becoming a poet was *Now All Roads Lead To France*, the biography of *Edward Thomas* written by *Matthew Hollis -* Regardless of subject, one of the best biographies I have ever read.


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## Travers (Feb 23, 2013)

Thanks a lot Bloggsworth, I'll check them all out.



I found (and bought) the Kindle version of Paulin's book for £6.55.
Can't wait to get in to it, thanks again!


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## sophiagia10 (Apr 23, 2013)

Travers said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I've just about finished Stephen Fry's The Ode Less Travelled and I was wondering if you could recommend some similar books for my continued education in poetry technique?
> 
> ...



I  learned so much from this book, so entertainingly presented...It was  one of those books, like Nine Gates by Jane Hirshfield, that I could  have turned around and just started reading again, immediately


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## Travers (Apr 23, 2013)

sophiagia10 said:


> I  learned so much from this book, so entertainingly presented...It was  one of those books, like Nine Gates by Jane Hirshfield, that I could  have turned around and just started reading again, immediately



I had it given as a present by someone who knew I liked Stephen Fry and it is the main reason for my interest in poetry now!

It's just great!


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