Roy Cook, the editor, said that “the purpose of this little volume is to enrich, ennoble, encourage. And for man, who has learned to love convenience, it is hardly larger than his concealing pocket.”

The book's selection of poems is exceptional. On more than one occasion, I have sat waiting for a speaker, viewed as an intellectual, to go to the podium and then weave into their subject the value of poetry.

Talking about poetry leads to the thought that everyone should commit some poems to memory. The reason and logic for this is, at least, the idea that people have memorized and recited poetry since ancient times.

Another good reason is that if a poem’s message is to be taken to heart, it is said that a person should know it by heart.

This collection is a must-have for those who appreciate poetry. The book is full of surprises. I will offer a poem I was glad to find.

Not in Vain

By Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain; If I can ease one life from aching, Cool one in pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.

You can see the poem “In Flanders Fields” on page 11 of the book or click to link to the poetry section.

The Builders by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Opportunity by Edward R. Sill, Out to Old Aunt Mary’s by James Whitcomb Riley, Each and All by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charge of the Light Brigade by Alfred Tennyson, and The Night Has a Thousand Eyes by Francis William Burdillon are just a few of the 101 diverse and captivating poems in this collection.