The collections on this list include the work of poets as diverse as Rupi Kaur, Pablo Neruda, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. Whether you’re interested in free verse, lyrics, ballads, odes, elegies, or something in-between, there is a collection of poems on this list to suit every reader’s interest.
Explore 20 of the Best Poetry Books
- 1 Mountain Interval by Robert Frost
- 2 Mother Love by Rita Dove
- 3 Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
- 4 Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
- 5 If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Sappho(Translated by Anne Carson)
- 6 Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake
- 7 milk and honey by Rupi Kaur
- 8 The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
- 9 The Essential Rumi by Rumi
- 10 Ariel by Sylvia Plath
- 11 On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho by Basho
- 12 Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney
- 13 Wild Iris by Louise Glück
- 14 Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- 15 And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
- 16 Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
- 17 Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- 18 The Complete Sonnets and Poems by William Shakespeare
- 19 The Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson
- 20 Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
- 21 FAQs
Mountain Interval by Robert Frost
Published: 1916
Important Poems: ‘Birches’ and ‘The Road Not Taken‘
Mountain Interval is Frost’s third collection of poetry, published in 1916. It contains some of his best-known poems. It is commonly regarded as one of his most important literary accomplishments and is a must-have for any poetry lover.
Mother Love by Rita Dove
Published: 1996
Important Poems: ‘Demeter’s Prayer to Hades’ and ‘Persephone, Falling’
A wonderful, well-known collection in which Dove explores themes like relationships and loss. Throughout, readers can explore the characters of Demeter and Persephone, removed from their mythological context and remade in the contemporary world.
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda
Published: 1924
Important Poems: ‘Everyday You Play‘ and ‘I Like For You To Be Still’
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair, or Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada by Pablo Neruda, is a collection of romantic poems first published in Spanish in 1924. The collection is one of the best-selling Spanish language books of all time.
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Published: 1956
Important Poems: ‘Howl,’ America,’ and ‘A Supermarket in California’
Howl and Other Poems is one of the most important American collections of the mid-20th century. It contains Ginsberg’s best-known poem as well as others that are considered to be landmarks of the Beat Generation.
If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Sappho(Translated by Anne Carson)
Published: 2002 (written around 600 BC)
Important Poems: ‘One Girl’ and ‘The Anactoria Poem’
A collection of the fragments of ancient Greek lyric poet Sappho’s poems. Of all her work (around 10,000 lines), only one complete poem survives. Within this collection, Carson presents readers with both the Greek version and the English translation.
Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake
Published: 1789 and 1794
Important Poems: ‘The Tyger’ and ‘The Chimney Sweeper’
Songs of Innocence and Experience is one of the most important collections of English-language poems. It contains the collected works from Songs of Innocence, first published in 1789, and Songs of Experience, published in 1794.
milk and honey by Rupi Kaur
Published: 2014
Important Poems: ‘how is it so easy for you’ and ‘i do not want to have you’
A well-loved contemporary collection of poems that’s divided into four sections: the hurting, the loving, the breaking, and the healing. It has sold over 3 million copies and was on The New York Times Bestseller list for 165 weeks.
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
Published: 1926
Important Poems: ‘The Weary Blues’ and ‘As I Grew Older’
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes is a landmark collection of the Harlem Renaissance and the best-known collection of Hughes’ poems. The poet was only twenty-four years old when this collection was released, and it has since become an American classic.
The Essential Rumi by Rumi
Published: 2010
Important Poems: ‘When I Die’ and ‘The Guest House’
The Essential Rumi is a collection of Rumi’s best-known poems, many of which are read, in various languages, around the world.
Ariel by Sylvia Plath
Published: 1965
Important Poems: ‘Ariel’ and ‘Lady Lazarus’
Ariel is Plath’s best-known collection. It was published two years after the poet took her life, in 1965. Throughout, readers can find poems that engage with themes of suicide and depression.
On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho by Basho
Published: 1986 (written mid-1600s)
Important Poems: ‘The Old Pond’
Matsuo Bashō was a 17th-century Japanese poet whose haiku are still read worldwide today. His work was incredibly influential in spreading the popularity of this short poetic form.
Death of a Naturalist by Seamus Heaney
Published: 1966
Important Poems: ‘Digging’ and ‘Mid-Term Break’
This award-winning collection was first published in 1966. It was Heaney’s first major collection and is concerned with themes like rural life, relationships, childhood, and family. It helped bring Heaney’s work into the public spotlight.
Wild Iris by Louise Glück
Published: 1992
Important Poems: ‘The Wild Iris’ and ‘Mock Orange’
Wild Iris by Louise Glück is a collection of more than fifty poems that depict changes in a garden. Each is written in the voice of a different flower. It speaks to universal themes, like time and death. Glück was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this collection in 1993.
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Published: 1974
Important Poems: ‘Show It At the Beach’ and ‘Whatif’
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein is a collection of memorable children’s poems accompanied by illustrations. It addresses themes of interest to young readers like imagination and growing up.
And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
Published: 1978
Important Poems: ‘Still I Rise’ and ‘Phenomenal Woman’
And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou was the poet’s third collection. It contains some of her best-known and commonly-read pieces. When this book was published, Angelou was already an established voice in American literature, having written three autobiographies.
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
Published: 1855
Important Poems: ‘Song of Myself’ and ‘I Sing the Body Electric’
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman is one of the most important collections by an American poet from any period. Whitman worked on this collection throughout his life, demonstrating his interest in free verse poetry and themes like spirituality, individuality, sexuality, and freedom.
Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Published: 1798
Important Poems: ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and ‘Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey’
Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a landmark volume in the history of poetry. With the publication of this collection, the Romanticism movement began in Europe and Britain. The collection includes some of the most commonly studied poems in the English language.
The Complete Sonnets and Poems by William Shakespeare
Published: 1608
Important Poems: ‘Sonnet 130’ and ‘Sonnet 116’
William Shakespeare’s poems are commonly regarded as some of the most influential in the history of literature. Within this collection, readers can explore his 154 sonnets as well as his longer poems.
The Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson
Published: 1896
Important Poems: ‘Because I could not stop for death’ and ‘Hope is the thing with feathers’
Dickinson’s complete poems were only published after her death but since her work has become some of the most popular and important in the English language.
Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
Published: 1915
Important Poems: ‘Fiddler Jones’ and ‘Achibald Higbie’
Spoon River Anthology is a unique collection in American poetry. Masters created this series of poems based on his experiences in his home town with each written as an elegy to a resident of Spoon River who passed away.
FAQs
The title of “best poetry book of all time” is very subjective but is often given to William Shakespeare’s and Emily Dickinson’s collected works, as well as Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman and Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Some poetry books are easier to understand than others. For example, Wild Iris by Louise Glück is easier to read, in part, than Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Some other good beginning collections include Emily Dickinson’s collected works and the collected works of Maya Angelou.
Some of the best poetry books to read include Collected Poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, and Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein.
Some of the best-selling poetry books of all time include Rupi Kaur’s milk and honey, William Shakespeare’s collected works, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson’s collected works.
