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Rating: 
Summary: For Devotees...
Review: As you would expect, the Complete Works contains all of Donne's well-known poems. Many of these and several of his lesser known pieces are absolutely brilliant works. But there are reasons why all of Donne's habeas corpus isn't wildly popular, and the Complete Works allows you to find those reasons for yourself. If you really want to study Donne, by all means buy this. If you're looking for old favorites, a book of selections will spare your wallet, shelf, and time.
Rating:
Summary: For Devotees...
Review: As you would expect, the Complete Works contains all of Donne's well-known poems. Many of these and several of his lesser known pieces are absolutely brilliant works. But there are reasons why all of Donne's habeas corpus isn't wildly popular, and the Complete Works allows you to find those reasons for yourself. If you really want to study Donne, by all means buy this. If you're looking for old favorites, a book of selections will spare your wallet, shelf, and time.
Rating: 
Summary: The master - oh, why do we hold Shakespeare above Donne?
Review: In my humble opinion, Donne was the greatest of the English poets. The sublime combination of the rhythms of human speech and classic meter, the eroticism of lyric, the passion that stirs within...Donne had no equal when it came to poeticism. Shakespeare, Shakespeare...you hack! There is a lot owing to this master poet. Let us recognize him; he is more deserving of our adulation.
Rating:
Summary: The master - oh, why do we hold Shakespeare above Donne?
Review: In my humble opinion, Donne was the greatest of the English poets. The sublime combination of the rhythms of human speech and classic meter, the eroticism of lyric, the passion that stirs within...Donne had no equal when it came to poeticism. Shakespeare, Shakespeare...you hack! There is a lot owing to this master poet. Let us recognize him; he is more deserving of our adulation.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite edition of Donne (EVERYMAN'S POCKET POETS)
Review: Was Donne a crude versifier, or a more precise craftsman than the Milton- and Dryden-influenced poets who largely rejected his style? I would argue the crudity was part of his precision. The crudeness I refer to is his frequent use of harsh rhymes and the jarring and uneven rhythms in his meter. Dryden smoothed these out, which is commendable, but later poets, steeped also in Milton's grandeur, had a difficult time getting to the subtle cracks of meaning and music Donne was able to reach in his bumpy, coarse lines. I regard him as the equal of any other English poet, for the exactness and depth of his expression, but I leave it to you to find out why. And there is no better place than this inexpensive hardcover edition in the Everyman's Pocket Poet series. It includes all the important poems-- the love poems, the satires and the epistles-- and a nice selection of prose. As with the rest of the series, we are relieved of any introduction or explanatory notes, which I feel bog down the poetry and distract us from what matters (namely, the poetry). One can then read other books to explain the literary allusions, the historical context, the archaisms and variant spellings and so forth. Part of the joy is simply dwelling in these words, without worries of critical debate and other factors that are the domain of Poetry 101. Simply buy this book, open the cover, and live in the words for the rest of your life (placing the pretty cloth bookmark between the pages when necessary). [Note: I am not referring to the Everyman edition of Donne's complete English poems.]
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