Poetry Books

Leaves of Grass

Walt Whitman

Leaves of Grass is a collection of poems by Walt Whitman, which was self-published in 1855. It has its origins in an essay written by Ralph Waldo Emerson 10 years earlier titled The Poet, which called..

Collected Works of Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

As a storywriter and poet, Edgar Allan Poe was master of the macabre and one of America's great literary geniuses. His collection of poems, short stories, and literary criticism not only helped define..

Paradise Lost

John Milton

As with Dante's Inferno - which has its companion "Paradiso" - Milton's Paradise Lost was followed by Paradise Regained: but Lost is his most famous work. This epic poem deals with the Christian story..

Beowulf

Anonymous

The ultimate epic poem, detailing the exploits of Beowulf battling with a variety of Nordic monsters. It has everything: dragons, crazed monsters, kings, and copious amounts of mead. It is an epic poe..

Divine Comedy - Inferno

Dante Alighieri

The Inferno is an allegorical poem by Dante Alighieri featuring the poet as himself as he travels through the 9 circles of hell. He's guided by the Roman poet Virgil, who shows him each group of sinne..

The Iliad

Homer

The Iliad is an epic poem by Homer dating from around the 8th century BC. It takes place during the Trojan war, and it depicts the battles and events that occur during a fight between King Agamemnon a..

The Odyssey

Homer

Homer's Odyssey is the sequel to the Iliad, and it's synonymous with epic adventure. Once again we're faced with some potential Greco-Roman confusion, as the hero this time is Odysseus, or Ulysses, de..

The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar

The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Paul Laurence Dunbar. African-american poet, novelist, and playwright of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (1872-1906). Introductory note by the auth..