The Pocket Emily Dickinson (Shambhala Pocket Classics) Paperback – June 30, 2009

I have loved all kinds of poetry most of my life. I also prefer the old masters of poetry rather than most contemporary free verse poetry being promoted today, which I find incomprehensible and boring. One of my favorite poets is Emily Dickinson. Her sense of loneliness, being a recluse, often comes out in her thoughtful poetry. Most of her poems are short and in the quatrain style, which I also favor over other poem styles.Even though I have read a number of her poems in the past I decided to purchase this volume (The Pocket Emily Dickinson, edited by Brenda Hillman, a Shambhala pocket classic) from Amazon. This 160 page little book is a pure delight. It is a perfect size to fit in your pocket and the poems are fantastic.The content includes the editor’s preface, the poems, which are the longest section, an afterword and an index of first lines of all the poems in this collection. The flow of her poems forces one to think deeply on what image she is attempting to project to anyone who might read her poetry. She was recognized as a prolific writer. In one year alone she had produced more than 500 poems. Like a lot of the poetic masters of the past, her poems did not become popular until after her death.If you are a fan of the poetry of Emily Dickinson this is a collection you should add to your personal library. If you are new to poetry this is also a good place to start your adventure.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Haiku Moments: How to read, write and enjoy haiku).

This is a great little book. The fact that Emily Dickinson is pretty much my favorite poet has a lot to do with it, of course, but there's more to it.The selection of poems is *excellent*. If someone asked me how to get into Dickinson,* I might well recommend this book because of that: everything in it is good and (for Dickinson) relatively accessible. I think a new reader is much more likely to find gems that cause Dickinson to click for them than with one of the complete editions or larger collections. And the introduction sets the stage perfectly.Also, Dickinson's poems really lend themselves to the small format. A) The poems themselves are small, and B) They're the right kind of poems for when you might actually need a pocket-sized book, like a walk in the woods, a walk to the park, or a camping trip. I keep a copy in my camping/bushcrafting possibles pouch.Highest recommendation.* I would probably also recommend Greg Mattingly's _Emily Dickinson as a Second Language_.

This book is so cute I literally want to eat it. It’s truly pocket sized and filled with all the best Emily Dickinson poems. For people like me, who love to carry a book everywhere, this is a perfect talisman. John Adams once said, “You’ll never be alone with a poet in your pocket.” Buy it. It’s my new favorite book. The foreword is beautiful.

Probs the smallest cutest little thing ever for a reader! As someone who loves to read this is great it can genuinely fit in a pocket from how small it is, probs even a womens pocket as crazy as it sounds with how small our pockets are made!

It is literally a pocket sized collection of Emily Dickinson poems. The poetry in this book has been kept as close to her poetry word for word, I highly recommend!

An excellent small book of her short and beautiful poetry! An absolutely perfect way to carry around with oneself good and agreeable, fitting poetry for the day or for a travelling trip!

Gift to a special person.

I carry this little book in my purse. Always. Meets every need, from hunger to anger to confusion to despair.

A difficult read; time required to try and understand this amazing woman's poetry that is so highly valued today, in the world of literature.