The Complete Poems - Paperback

by John Crowe Ransom (Author), Ashby Bland Crowder (Editor), Robb Forman Dew (Foreword by)

The Complete Poems contains every poem that John Crowe Ransom wrote, including his three books--Poems About God, Chills and Fever, and Two Gentlemen in Bonds--as well as the additional poems that appeared in the three editions of his Selected Poems. The volume also collects poems that were published only in newspapers and magazines, as well as a handful of poems that Ransom left in manuscript at the time of his death.

This variorum edition establishes the definitive text of each poem, collating Ransom's elaborate revisions, which he carried out throughout his lifetime. Detailed annotations identify sources, parse obscure allusions, and highlight the archaic language central to Ransom's poetic technique. Edited by Ashby Bland Crowder, this volume constitutes an authoritative scholarly edition of Ransom's poetry, providing an essential resource for the study of twentieth-century American literature.

Front Jacket

"This well-documented edition of the Ransom canon is long overdue and a welcome contribution to the history of mid-twentieth century American letters. All academic libraries should own it. Ransom's poems are lapidary in their economy and stylistic elegance and have stood the test of time in the face of the ever-changing vicissitudes of what Karl Shapiro used to call 'po biz.' It's wonderful to have them back again in their unique and curious glory."--William Collins Watterson, Edward Little Professor of the English Language and Literature, Bowdoin College

"This collection of Ransom's poems is a splendid accomplishment, equipped with all the apparatus befitting the standard edition it will become even while showcasing the poems in an uncluttered format. A rare device, it will be essential to scholar and general reader alike."--Michael Bright, editor of The Complete Works of Robert Browning, vols. XI and XIV

Author Biography

John Crowe Ransom (1888-1974) taught at Vanderbilt University and Kenyon College, where he founded the Kenyon Review. The author of many books of poetry and essays, Ransom won the National Book Award for his Selected Poems in 1964.

Ashby Bland Crowder (1941-2019) was the author or editor of several books, including Wakeful Anguish: A Literary Biography of William Humphrey and two volumes of The Complete Works of Robert Browning.

Robb Forman Dew, the granddaughter of John Crowe Ransom, is the author of several novels, including Dale Loves Sophie to Death, which won a National Book Award, and Being Polite to Hitler.