1,000 poems by nearly 150 poets. Volume One: Freneau to Whitman extends chronologically from the classical couplets of Philip Freneau to the pioneering free verse of Whitman. Alongside generous selections by Poe, Emerson, Bryant, Longfellow, and Whittier are works by other poets yet to received full recognition. Volume Two extends from the monumental mid-century achievements of Melville and Dickinson to the modernist stirrings of Stephen Crane and E. A. Robinson. Pioneering African-American poets, popular humorist, poems of the Civil War and western migration are here alongside a number of neglected pleasures. Special features include American Indian poetry and a rich gathering of folk poetry. Both volumes include a chronology, biographical notes, notes on the texts, indices of titles and first line, and indices of poets.

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