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81 Famous Poems
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The Poets' Corner
- The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family
- By: John Lithgow
- Narrated by: Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
John Lithgow has compiled an outstanding collection of memorable poems and has gathered his famous friends to read them. The wide variety of carefully selected poetry in this audiobook provides the perfect introduction to reel in those who are new to poetry, and for poetry lovers to experience beloved verses in a fresh, vivid way. Lithgow offers insightful and sometimes poignant commentary to accompany each poem. His essential criterion is that "each poem's light shines more brightly when read aloud".
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a great selection but could do with more poetry
- By DecUK on 14-10-18
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A Poem for Every Day of the Year
- By: Allie Esiri
- Narrated by: Helena Bonham Carter, Simon Russell Beale, Damian Lynch, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A Poem for Every Day of the Year is a magnificent collection of 366 poems compiled by Allie Esiri, one to share on every day of the year. These poems are funny, thoughtful, inspiring, humbling, informative, quiet, loud, small, epic, peaceful, energetic, upbeat, motivating and empowering!
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A Poem for Every Day of the Year
- By mr eric hughes on 02-02-18
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The History of English Poetry
- By: Peter Whitfield
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
English literature is a treasure trove of wonderful poetry. From Shakespeare to Milton, Keats to Shelley and Tennyson to Yeats, this accessible history (especially written for Naxos Audiobooks) introduces the listener to countless small masterpieces, including all the old favorites and some lesser-known gems. Whitfield explores this most expressive of art forms and traces the historical development of a rich and diverse canon of poetical works.
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An Excellent introduction
- By Chris on 15-05-10
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Seven Ages
- An Anthology of Poetry with Music (Unabridged Selections)
- By: William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes
- Narrated by: Ralph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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This highly entertaining anthology of verse is the comic, tragic, tender, and telling story of life's seven ages, from childhood to old age. Within the framework of Shakespeare's speech, "The Seven Ages of Man," performed by Sir Ian McKellen, are 150 great poems from all ages, from Chaucer to Emily Dickinson to Walt Whitman and many others. The poem are presented by the finest cast ever assembled on one recording and includes Ralph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench, John Cleese, Michael Caine, and more.
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Great Poetry Not Much Music.
- By Bernice on 28-01-17
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The Nation's Favourite Poems
- By: BBC Audiobooks
- Narrated by: John Nettles, Siobhan Redmond, Greg Wise, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In a nationwide poll conducted by BBC Television's Bookworm to find the nation's favourite poem, Rudyard Kipling's "If" was voted number one. This compilation brings together over 40 poems from the poll, including the top 10, all stirringly read by John Nettles, Siobhàn Redmond, Greg Wise, and Emma Fielding.
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Bad format, two chapters
- By Amazon Customer on 08-06-16
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Poetry Please
- By: Adjoa Andoh
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 2 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
BBC Radio 4's Poetry Please is the longest-running broadcast of verse anywhere in the world. First aired in 1979, the programme, a request show which broadcasts to two million listeners a week, has become a unique record of the country's best-loved poems over the decades since its inception. The BBC has looked back through its rich archive of recordings to produce a poll of the most asked-for and most broadcast pieces ever: 50 of those poems are read here by Adjoa Andoh and Anton Lesser.
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Not unabridged?
- By Paula09 on 07-12-18
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The Poets' Corner
- The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family
- By: John Lithgow
- Narrated by: Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren, and others
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Lithgow has compiled an outstanding collection of memorable poems and has gathered his famous friends to read them. The wide variety of carefully selected poetry in this audiobook provides the perfect introduction to reel in those who are new to poetry, and for poetry lovers to experience beloved verses in a fresh, vivid way. Lithgow offers insightful and sometimes poignant commentary to accompany each poem. His essential criterion is that "each poem's light shines more brightly when read aloud".
-
-
a great selection but could do with more poetry
- By DecUK on 14-10-18
-
A Poem for Every Day of the Year
- By: Allie Esiri
- Narrated by: Helena Bonham Carter, Simon Russell Beale, Damian Lynch, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Poem for Every Day of the Year is a magnificent collection of 366 poems compiled by Allie Esiri, one to share on every day of the year. These poems are funny, thoughtful, inspiring, humbling, informative, quiet, loud, small, epic, peaceful, energetic, upbeat, motivating and empowering!
-
-
A Poem for Every Day of the Year
- By mr eric hughes on 02-02-18
-
The History of English Poetry
- By: Peter Whitfield
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
English literature is a treasure trove of wonderful poetry. From Shakespeare to Milton, Keats to Shelley and Tennyson to Yeats, this accessible history (especially written for Naxos Audiobooks) introduces the listener to countless small masterpieces, including all the old favorites and some lesser-known gems. Whitfield explores this most expressive of art forms and traces the historical development of a rich and diverse canon of poetical works.
-
-
An Excellent introduction
- By Chris on 15-05-10
-
Seven Ages
- An Anthology of Poetry with Music (Unabridged Selections)
- By: William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes
- Narrated by: Ralph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This highly entertaining anthology of verse is the comic, tragic, tender, and telling story of life's seven ages, from childhood to old age. Within the framework of Shakespeare's speech, "The Seven Ages of Man," performed by Sir Ian McKellen, are 150 great poems from all ages, from Chaucer to Emily Dickinson to Walt Whitman and many others. The poem are presented by the finest cast ever assembled on one recording and includes Ralph Fiennes, Dame Judi Dench, John Cleese, Michael Caine, and more.
-
-
Great Poetry Not Much Music.
- By Bernice on 28-01-17
-
The Nation's Favourite Poems
- By: BBC Audiobooks
- Narrated by: John Nettles, Siobhan Redmond, Greg Wise, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a nationwide poll conducted by BBC Television's Bookworm to find the nation's favourite poem, Rudyard Kipling's "If" was voted number one. This compilation brings together over 40 poems from the poll, including the top 10, all stirringly read by John Nettles, Siobhàn Redmond, Greg Wise, and Emma Fielding.
-
-
Bad format, two chapters
- By Amazon Customer on 08-06-16
-
Poetry Please
- By: Adjoa Andoh
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 2 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
BBC Radio 4's Poetry Please is the longest-running broadcast of verse anywhere in the world. First aired in 1979, the programme, a request show which broadcasts to two million listeners a week, has become a unique record of the country's best-loved poems over the decades since its inception. The BBC has looked back through its rich archive of recordings to produce a poll of the most asked-for and most broadcast pieces ever: 50 of those poems are read here by Adjoa Andoh and Anton Lesser.
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Not unabridged?
- By Paula09 on 07-12-18
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Six Poets
- Hardy to Larkin: An Anthology
- By: Alan Bennett
- Narrated by: Alan Bennett
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Alan Bennett's selection of English verse by his favourite poets: Thomas Hardy, A.E. Housman, W.H. Auden, Louis MacNeice, and Philip Larkin is accompanied by his own enlivening commentary and was recorded before a live audience. In this personal anthology, Alan Bennett has chosen more than seventy poems by six well-loved poets, discussing the writers and their verse in his customary conversational style through anecdote, shrewd appraisal and spare but telling biographical detail.
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Just Listen
- By Martin on 14-07-15
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The Canterbury Tales [Blackstone]
- By: Geoffrey Chaucer
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis, Jay Carnes, Ray Porter, and others
- Length: 20 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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In this edition, we hear, translated into modern English, 20-some tales, told in the voices of knight and merchant, wife and miller, squire and nun, and many more. Some are bawdy, some spiritual, some romantic, some mysterious, some chivalrous. Between the stories, the travelers converse, joke, and argue, revealing much about their individual outlooks upon life as well as what life was like in late 14th-century England.
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Olde English classic
- By Zoe on 07-04-13
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Poems to Live Your Life By
- By: Chris Riddell
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 1 hr and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Chris' wonderful anthology features famous poems, old and new, and a few surprises. Classic verses from William Shakespeare, Lewis Carroll, W. B. Yeats and Christina Rossetti sit alongside poems from Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Carol Ann Duffy, Neil Gaiman and Roger McGough to create the ultimate collection brought to life by Sam West's exquisite readings.
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The Virginia Woolf BBC Radio Drama Collection
- Seven Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Virginia Woolf
- Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar, full cast, Juliet Stevenson, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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The collected BBC dramatisations of the fiction of Virginia Woolf, with star casts including Kristin Scott-Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Juliet Stevenson, Laura Fraser, Robert Glenister and Fenella Woolgar....
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Excellent, but give chapter info and sort typos
- By Mr M Patel on 04-05-19
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The Poetry Pharmacy
- Tried-and-True Prescriptions for the Heart, Mind and Soul
- By: William Sieghart
- Narrated by: William Sieghart
- Length: 3 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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In the years since he first had the idea of prescribing short, powerful poems for all manner of spiritual ailments, William Sieghart has taken his Poetry Pharmacy around the length and breadth of Britain, into the pages of the Guardian, onto BBC Radio 4 and onto the television, honing his prescriptions all the time. This audiobook presents the most essential poems in his dispensary: those which, again and again, have really shown themselves to work. Whether you are suffering from loneliness, lack of courage, heartbreak, hopelessness or even an excess of ego, there is something here to ease your pain.
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The Poems of T. S. Eliot
- Read by Jeremy Irons
- By: T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Jeremy Irons' perceptive reading illuminates the poetry of T. S. Eliot in all its complexity. Major poems range from 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock' through the post-war desolation of 'The Waste Land' and the spiritual struggle of 'Ash-Wednesday', to the enduring charm of 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'.
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I hope this helps........
- By Peter Clinch on 12-06-18
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Short Stories: The Vintage Collection
- By: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Saki, Thomas Hardy, and others
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, Martin Jarvis, Hugh Laurie, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The fifth volume in CSA Word's massively popular complete and unabridged ‘Short Stories’ collection is bound to please. With something for everyone this collection of classic stories read by only the best-suited and most established readers will delight the ears as a vintage wine excites the gullet; The Vintage Collection is audible gold. Features eye-catching typographical series design.
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Could have been easier to navigate.
- By K. J. Bute on 20-10-19
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No Is Not Enough
- Defeating the New Shock Politics
- By: Naomi Klein
- Narrated by: Brit Marling
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Trump, as extreme as he is, is less an aberration than a logical conclusion - a pastiche of pretty much all the worst and most dangerous trends of the past half century. A one-man megabrand, with wife and children as spin-off brands.... Remember when it all seemed to be getting better? Before Trump happened? Naomi Klein, internationally acclaimed journalist, activist and best-selling author, shows us how we got to this surreal and dangerous place, how to stop it getting a lot worse, and how, if we keep our heads, we can make things better.
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A manifesto for the rest of my life...
- By benslaters on 06-08-17
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The Richard Burton Poetry Collection
- By: Samuel Coleridge, Thomas Hardy, John Donne
- Narrated by: Richard Burton
- Length: 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Richard Burton reads from Hardy and Donne, and performs a wonderful unabridged version of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (along with Robert Hardy and John Neville).
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Could have been perfect
- By Blackbird on 31-01-13
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The Adventure Collection
- Treasure Island, The Jungle Book, Gulliver's Travels, White Fang, The Merry Adventures of Robin
- By: Jonathan Swift, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, and others
- Narrated by: Simon Vance, Michael Page, Buck Schirner
- Length: 40 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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This set includes five tales of extraordinary heroism, marvelous intrigue, and exceptional courage that have inspired and amazed people for generations.
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Thoroughly enjoyable!
- By Chris McMahon on 05-10-15
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Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In words remarkable for their richness of rhythm and imagery, Milton tells the story of man's creation, fall, and redemption, "to justify the ways of God to men". Here, unabridged, and told with exceptional sensitivity and power by Anton Lesser, is the plight of Adam and Eve, the ambition and vengefulness of Satan and his cohorts.
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Sonorous metal
- By Francis on 06-12-07
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The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (translator)
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 17 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Dante's Divine Comedy is considered to be not only the most important epic poem in Italian literature, but also one of the greatest poems ever written. It consists of 100 cantos, and (after an introductory canto) they are divided into three sections. Each section is 33 cantos in length, and they describe how Dante and a guide travel through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
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Beautifully done!
- By LM C on 16-04-18
Summary
Listen to the sound of English as it was meant to be heard.
This collection of timeless British and American poems is an experience to be treasured. The readings, by brilliant classic actors Alexander Scourby, Nancy Wickwire, and Bramwell Fletcher, are presented in the order they appear in The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Third Edition, and are selected for their ability to delight. The poetry is also among the most anthologized verse in the English language.
Included are such best-loved works as Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?", John Donne's "Go and Catch a Falling Star", Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time", Robert Burns' "A Red, Red Rose", John Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn", Walt Whitman's "O Captain, My Captain", and William Butler Yeats' "The Wild Swans at Coole", a total of 81 major poems from 39 poets. It is simply a collection of the best.
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- CMHD
- 19-06-17
Great readings, but why no list of the poems?
Any additional comments?
The audio is divided into chapters, but they are just numbered, it does not list the poems, which is frankly ridiculous.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
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- mark
- 02-02-19
recited beautifully but .....
pros. recited beautifully and is a treasure because of it.
cons. There is a intro giving the title. so why then is this not a positive? Rather than the narrator giving the intro its an ascended that starkly contrasts the tone and I would love to get rid of it but don't think you can do that with audible. Who ever produced this needs there head examined.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall

- Dean Bocobo
- 17-12-18
Untitled Chapters Make An Audiobook Hard To Use
The audio quality is quite good, but because this is a book of many short poems, the untitled chapters make the book hard to use. This is important because listening to a poem just once or twice is never enough.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
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Overall

- Belinda C
- 05-05-18
81 poem's
👍book I book to have for reading and writing to hear 👂!like the too much
1 of 6 people found this review helpful