Describes the different sorts of poetry Whitman, Dickinson, and Melville wrote, their comparable reasons for writing, and the posthumous critical effects of their having done so.

These four timeless poetry collections showcase the pioneering work of some of America’s most beloved and influential poets. New Hampshire by Robert Frost: This Pulitzer Prize–winning collection features some of Frost’s most enduring works, all inspired by the cold and wild New Hampshire winter. Along with the title poem, this volume includes “Fire and Ice,” “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” and “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” which Frost himself called “my best bid for remembrance.” Tender Buttons by Gertrude Stein: Stein’s first published work of poetry, this avant-garde meditation on ordinary living is presented in three sections: “Objects,” “Food,” and “Rooms.” Emphasizing rhythm and sonority over traditional grammar, Stein’s wordplay has garnered praise from readers and critics alike. Selected Poems by T. S. Eliot: This twenty-four poem volume is a rich collection of Eliot’s greatest works—including “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,” “Gerontion,” “Sweeny Among the Nightingales,” and others—all of which expertly explore the desires, grievances, failures, and heart of modern humanity. Selected Poems by Emily Dickinson: This collection of poems by “one of America’s greatest and most original poets of all time” includes some of Dickinson’s best-known works, reflecting her thoughts on nature, life, death, the mind, and the spirit (Poetry Foundation).

Contains three books by author Mark Twain: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -- Life on the Mississippi -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

A unique collection of poems from three writers living under the shadow of the Civil War Three great American poets, all of whom preferred the solitary life, and yet each responded, in very different ways, to the greatest social event of their times: the challenge of living in a country recovering from civil war. The selection from Melville aims to show the range of his shorter verse, from the public poet intensely concerned with the Civil War and its meaning for humanity, to the private poet, as he withdrew from the eyes of the world. Robinson's quintessential and much anthologised famous poems can be read set alongside the less widely-read pieces also included here. Tuckerman is a neglected poet, whose poems reflect his friendship with Tennyson and his grief for the loss of his wife."