
The Classic Fifty Poems
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $10.21
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Philip Levine
-
Paul Muldoon
About this listen
Newly revised, and read by an ensemble of contemporary poets, The Classic Fifty Poems is a feast for poetry lovers.
©1990, 1997 Columbia University Press (P)16 9; 1998 HighBridge CompanyListeners also enjoyed...
-
From Song of Myself (A Poem from 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 Painless Crash Course in the Great Western Poets
- By Brazilgirl on 10-27-14
By: John Lithgow
-
Great Poets of the Romantic Age
- By: William Blake, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen
- Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language.
-
-
Inspirational, beautiful and timeless
- By Elisa on 08-25-16
By: William Blake, and others
-
The Great Poets: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen, John Moffatt, Sarah Woodward, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in collaboration with his friend, William Wordsworth, revolutionized English poetry. In 1798 they produced their Lyrical Ballads, poems of imagination and reflection using "the language of men" - pointing the way forward for a generation of Romantic poets.
-
-
Another jewel of my poetry collection
- By ESK on 10-17-12
-
The Classic Hundred Poems
- By: William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, W.B. Yeats, and others
- Narrated by: Alfred Corn, Rita Dove
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adopting the methodology of the music charts, The Classic Hundred Poems presents the "top 100" poems of all time. The selections are illuminated by the informative notes of editor William Harmon and read by an ensemble of contemporary poets including Alfred Corn and Rita Dove.
-
-
A great selection of poetry
- By James on 07-13-04
By: William Shakespeare, and others
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
The Poems of T. S. Eliot
- Read by Jeremy Irons
- By: T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons, Dame Eileen Atkins
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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'.
-
-
Horribly Frustrating to Follow
- By AVS on 06-18-18
By: T. S. Eliot
-
From Song of Myself (A Poem from 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 Painless Crash Course in the Great Western Poets
- By Brazilgirl on 10-27-14
By: John Lithgow
-
Great Poets of the Romantic Age
- By: William Blake, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen
- Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language.
-
-
Inspirational, beautiful and timeless
- By Elisa on 08-25-16
By: William Blake, and others
-
The Great Poets: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen, John Moffatt, Sarah Woodward, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in collaboration with his friend, William Wordsworth, revolutionized English poetry. In 1798 they produced their Lyrical Ballads, poems of imagination and reflection using "the language of men" - pointing the way forward for a generation of Romantic poets.
-
-
Another jewel of my poetry collection
- By ESK on 10-17-12
-
The Classic Hundred Poems
- By: William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, W.B. Yeats, and others
- Narrated by: Alfred Corn, Rita Dove
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adopting the methodology of the music charts, The Classic Hundred Poems presents the "top 100" poems of all time. The selections are illuminated by the informative notes of editor William Harmon and read by an ensemble of contemporary poets including Alfred Corn and Rita Dove.
-
-
A great selection of poetry
- By James on 07-13-04
By: William Shakespeare, and others
-
Paradise Lost
- By: John Milton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Milton's Paradise Lost is one of the greatest epic poems in the English language. It tells the story of the Fall of Man, a tale of immense drama and excitement, of rebellion and treachery, of innocence pitted against corruption, in which God and Satan fight a bitter battle for control of mankind's destiny.
-
-
The most accessible reading of Paradise Lost
- By Tony McClung on 02-21-10
By: John Milton
-
The Poems of T. S. Eliot
- Read by Jeremy Irons
- By: T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons, Dame Eileen Atkins
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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'.
-
-
Horribly Frustrating to Follow
- By AVS on 06-18-18
By: T. S. Eliot
-
Poetic License
- 100 Poems - 100 Performers
- By: Emily Dickinson, e. e. cummings, William Wordsworth, and others
- Narrated by: Jason Alexander, Christine Baranski, Charles Busch, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why a poetry album? Easy answer: I love poetry. I love reading it. I love memorizing it. I love hearing great actors recite it. As the poet Mark Strand wrote, “Ink runs from the corners of my mouth / There is no happiness like mine / I have been eating poetry.” In the past, when I was full from eating, I have had the audacity to set poetry to music. But, on this audiobook, you will hear the music of the poems.
-
-
100 poems -No table of contents!!
- By Christine on 08-26-13
By: Emily Dickinson, and others
-
The Joy of x
- A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity
- By: Steven Strogatz
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Many people take math in high school and promptly forget much of it. But math plays a part in all of our lives all of the time, whether we know it or not. In The Joy of x, Steven Strogatz expands on his hit New York Times series to explain the big ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, and insight.
-
-
Great listen
- By cameron on 08-16-19
By: Steven Strogatz
-
Good Poems
- Selected and Introduced by Garrison Keillor
- By: Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and others
- Narrated by: Garrison Keillor
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Good Poems includes poems about lovers, children, failure, everyday life, death, and transcendence. It features the work of classic poets, such as Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and Robert Frost, as well as the work of contemporary greats such as Howard Nemerov, Charles Bukowski, Donald Hall, Billy Collins, Robert Bly, and Sharon Olds Good Poems includes poems about lovers, children, failure, everyday life, death, and transcendence.
-
-
Very good, but. . .
- By KSmith on 01-27-11
By: Emily Dickinson, and others
-
Rhyme's Rooms
- The Architecture of Poetry
- By: Brad Leithauser
- Narrated by: Kevin R. Free
- Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the widely acclaimed poet, novelist, critic, and scholar, a lucid and edifying exploration of the building blocks of poetry and how they've been used over the centuries to assemble the most imperishable poems.
By: Brad Leithauser
-
The Faerie Queene
- By: Edmund Spenser
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 33 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This remarkable poem, dedicated to Queen Elizabeth I, was Spenser's finest achievement. The first epic poem in modern English, The Faerie Queene combines dramatic narratives of chivalrous adventure with exquisite and picturesque episodes of pageantry. At the same time, Spenser is expounding a deeply-felt allegory of the eternal struggle between Truth and Error....
-
-
High Fantasy from the Renaissance
- By Jabba on 10-03-15
By: Edmund Spenser
-
Knowing What We Know
- The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic
- By: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds. Throughout this fascinating tour, Winchester forces us to ponder what rational humans are becoming. What good is all this knowledge if it leads to lack of thought? What is information without wisdom?
-
-
Colorful anecdotes but tiring after a while.
- By Thumb Guy on 05-03-23
By: Simon Winchester
Critic reviews
"Why did no one think of this before?" (The New York Times Book Review)
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Classic Hundred Poems
- By: William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, W.B. Yeats, and others
- Narrated by: Alfred Corn, Rita Dove
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adopting the methodology of the music charts, The Classic Hundred Poems presents the "top 100" poems of all time. The selections are illuminated by the informative notes of editor William Harmon and read by an ensemble of contemporary poets including Alfred Corn and Rita Dove.
-
-
A great selection of poetry
- By James on 07-13-04
By: William Shakespeare, and others
-
Great Poets of the Romantic Age
- By: William Blake, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen
- Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language.
-
-
Inspirational, beautiful and timeless
- By Elisa on 08-25-16
By: William Blake, and others
-
The 100 Best Poems of All Time - Part 1
- By: William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm, Eric Stoltz
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Graeme Malcolm, Eric Stoltz, and other accomplished actors bring life to the words of the world's favorite poets, including William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Also available: The Best Poems of All Time, Volume 2.
-
-
Okay but
- By Alice on 06-04-03
By: William Shakespeare, and others
-
The Best Poems of All Time, Volume 2
- By: Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Natalie Cole, D.B. Sweeney
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This poetry companion puts favorite poetry and poets from around the world at your fingertips, enabling you to revisit the classics, encounter unfamiliar masterworks and rediscover old favorites.
-
-
Lines of rhymes Victorian times to modern climes
- By Marius on 04-21-04
By: Robert Frost, and others
-
The Great Poets
- John Keats
- By: John Keats
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Michael Sheen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Keats was largely unappreciated during his lifetime and died in Rome at the age of 26. Most of his 150 poems were written in just nine extraordinary months in 1819. This selection contains some of his finest works, including the principal "Odes", "La Belle Dame Sans Merci", "Old Meg", and "Much Have I Travelled".
-
-
Here is the list of poems in this collection
- By C. Cobb on 08-25-08
By: John Keats
-
150 Most Famous Poems
- Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman and many more
- By: Poetry House
- Narrated by: Samuel Casey
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"150 Most Famous Poems: Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman and Many More" is a timeless anthology that brings together some of the most celebrated and influential poems in the English language.
-
-
Great poems; mediocre narrator
- By Milton Lewis on 04-13-25
By: Poetry House
-
The Classic Hundred Poems
- By: William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, W.B. Yeats, and others
- Narrated by: Alfred Corn, Rita Dove
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Adopting the methodology of the music charts, The Classic Hundred Poems presents the "top 100" poems of all time. The selections are illuminated by the informative notes of editor William Harmon and read by an ensemble of contemporary poets including Alfred Corn and Rita Dove.
-
-
A great selection of poetry
- By James on 07-13-04
By: William Shakespeare, and others
-
Great Poets of the Romantic Age
- By: William Blake, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and others
- Narrated by: Michael Sheen
- Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a dynamic spirit, these great English poets made a conscious return to nostalgia and spiritual depth. Each chose a different path, but they are united in a love of moods, impressions, scenes, stories, sights and sounds. In this collection of more than forty poems are some of the finest and most memorable works in the English language.
-
-
Inspirational, beautiful and timeless
- By Elisa on 08-25-16
By: William Blake, and others
-
The 100 Best Poems of All Time - Part 1
- By: William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm, Eric Stoltz
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Graeme Malcolm, Eric Stoltz, and other accomplished actors bring life to the words of the world's favorite poets, including William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Also available: The Best Poems of All Time, Volume 2.
-
-
Okay but
- By Alice on 06-04-03
By: William Shakespeare, and others
-
The Best Poems of All Time, Volume 2
- By: Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, T. S. Eliot
- Narrated by: Natalie Cole, D.B. Sweeney
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This poetry companion puts favorite poetry and poets from around the world at your fingertips, enabling you to revisit the classics, encounter unfamiliar masterworks and rediscover old favorites.
-
-
Lines of rhymes Victorian times to modern climes
- By Marius on 04-21-04
By: Robert Frost, and others
-
The Great Poets
- John Keats
- By: John Keats
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Michael Sheen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Keats was largely unappreciated during his lifetime and died in Rome at the age of 26. Most of his 150 poems were written in just nine extraordinary months in 1819. This selection contains some of his finest works, including the principal "Odes", "La Belle Dame Sans Merci", "Old Meg", and "Much Have I Travelled".
-
-
Here is the list of poems in this collection
- By C. Cobb on 08-25-08
By: John Keats
-
150 Most Famous Poems
- Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman and many more
- By: Poetry House
- Narrated by: Samuel Casey
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"150 Most Famous Poems: Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman and Many More" is a timeless anthology that brings together some of the most celebrated and influential poems in the English language.
-
-
Great poems; mediocre narrator
- By Milton Lewis on 04-13-25
By: Poetry House
What listeners say about The Classic Fifty Poems
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Lisa
- 08-14-05
Not bad
The poetry was great, with the exception of a few items (e.g. Frankie and Johnny). The musical interludes are awful and need to be updated.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
- Mavis
- 06-01-07
New lover
As a fairly new lover of poetry I found this production not only informative but beautifully read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Patrick
- 04-17-05
technical comment
My problem with this audio collection is that it contains no list of poems and poets. To find a particular poem, you need to either create your own list or poke around the audio estimating its location. I've never picked up a poetry book without a table of contents.
A technical suggestion is to segment the poems so you have the choice of going directly to a poem. An even more ambitious division would be to also segment the intro and poem separately. I'd be more likely to go back and listen to specific poems. When I feel the impulse to listen to a song, I put in a CD and go directly to the song.
From a technical standpoint, it feels like they took some of the greatest poems in literature but neglected to separate the text into verses and paragraphs.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
26 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Marius
- 06-01-04
Good stuff here
Wonderful poetry, very well read. The commentary was a lot better than I expected, with a touch of humour. A nice variety of voices. Good stuff all round.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- JerryT
- 03-16-05
Great for High School Freshmen
Also good for those who know nothing about poetry, were not a liberal arts major, or really don't have a clue about the history of poetry in the English language. Less than 45 minutes is devoted to poetry. The balance of the time is devoted to mediocre biography and general comments by a narrator. If you fit in the category of knowing nothing about poetry or are a high school freshman this is just what you need. It's otherwise worthless and I'm not certain I'd recommend it to high school freshmen.
Very little poetry. Lots of inane commentary.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- e
- 09-06-24
good selection, poor recitation
If you were to know 50 and only 50 English-language poems from Western Civilization, this collection would be a good selection. The recitation, however, is awful, and you would be better reading and reciting it yourself even if Englisb were a second-language to you.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!