I bought this collection at a used bookstore, probably 20 or so years ago, after I read part of Brooke's poem "The Great Lover" in R.A. MacAvoy's "Tea with the Black Dragon". "Clouds" and "The Great Lover" are my two of my all-time favorite poems. Anyway, I've been hauling this book around ever since then, but am ready to let it go. The bookplate was in the book when I bought it; I wish we knew what B. Fabricant thought about Brooke's work!

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to cordelia-anne, who said she'd like to read it, along with some other poetry collections that need to wander back out into the world. See what happens? You agree to accept one book & it comes with stowaways!

This looks wonderful labmomnm. I haven't considered Brooke in years and will read your two favorites first. Thanks to bookcrossing, passed along books need never be silent again. Next, I'll journal the interesting stowaways. You speak of book serendipity in your post card. Well, it's interesting that I just released five books today and thought I'd made considerable progress in bookcrossing. Now I've four to replace most of them.

I also wish I could guess what B. Fabricant thought of these poems. I like the way labmomnm preserved the bookplate here! Was that the reader's real name? Or a fabrication!

In this collection, I enjoy Rupert Brooke's sonnets best. "Clouds" is one of these (Page 127). With vivid sensuality as in "The Great Lover" (Page 114), Brooke shares such a deep connection to life in all its particulars. How terrible that he died so young on the way to the horrible World War I slaughter of Gallipoli. In the US, a country that now apparently hates itself, his patriotism as in "The Soldier" (Page 105) might be hard to appreciate but I understand it. I live in a place where young men fought and died. I'm constantly aware of this. Perhaps a reading of Brooke might make some more mindful of that. Young men, so full of life, and facing battle are heroes to me. We are close to Memorial Day so I'm reserving this for a Memorial Day release. Thanks labmomnm for entrusting this wonderful old book to me. I'm sorry I've kept it so long.

Editions of this particular collection with an introduction by George Edward Woodberry, and a biographical note by Margaret Lavington remain available. It's a good collection.

Hello and Happy Memorial Day this weekend. This a a gift from BookCrossing, a random community of book lovers. We hope you'll particularly remember and honor the men who gave their lives in World War I this weekend. Picking up this book could be a good start. If you'd like to join the BookCrossing story of this book, please make a journal entry at our site with the BCID (bookcrossing ID) on the bookplate. BookCrossing is free to join and confidential.