Oxford Book of English Verse

The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250–1900 is an anthology of English poetry, edited by Arthur Quiller-Couch, that had a very substantial influence on popular taste and perception of poetry for at least a generation. It was published by Oxford University Press in 1900; in its India-paper form it was carried widely around the British Empire and in war as a 'knapsack book'. The 1900 edition, originally conceived under the title Lyra Britannica, was designed to supersede Palgrave's The Golden Treasury (1861) by focusing on lyric poetry, which allowed for the inclusion of twice as many works. In print for almost 40 years, the first edition sold over 500,000 copies with 21 impressions. In 1939, Quiller-Couch revised the volume, deleting several poems (especially from the late 19th century) that he regretted including and adding instead many poems published before 1901 as well as poems published up to 1918. The second edition continued to sell even after the appearance of the 1972 New Oxford Book of English Verse and is now available online. The success of The Oxford Book of English Verse led to further poetry anthologies under the title of "Oxford Books," which were edited by Quiller-Couch and others. Early volumes included The Oxford Book of Ballads (1910), The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse (1912), as well as collections of French, Italian, German, Latin, Spanish, and Canadian verse, and the series continues.

Oxonian Dedication "To the President and Fellows and Scholars of Trinity College Oxford / a house of learning; ancient, liberal, humane, and my most kindly nurse"