Baudelaire: Selected Verse by Charles Baudelaire (First Edition)
"The Purpose of these Penguin books of verse in the chief European languages is to make a fair selection of the world's finest poetry available to readers who could not, but for the translations at the foot of each page, approach it without dictionaries and a slow plodding from line to line. They offer, even to those with fair linguistic knowledge, the readiest introduction to each country's lyrical inheritance, and a sound base from which to make further explorations.
But these editions are not intended only for those with a command of languages. They should appeal also to the adventurous who, for sheer love of poetry, will attack a poem in a tongue almost unknown to them, guided only by their previous reading and some Latin or French. In this way, if they are willing to start with a careful word-for-word comparison, they will soon dispense with the English, and read a poem by Petrarch, Campanella, or Montale, by Garcilaso, Gongora, or Lorca, straight through. Even German poetry can be approached in this unorthodox way. Something will, of course, always be lost, but not so much as will be gained.
The selections in each book have been made by the various editors alone. But all alike reflect contemporary trends in taste, and include only poetry that can be read for pleasure. No specimens have been included merely for their historical interest, or to represent some particular school or phase of literary history" - J. M. Cohen
Paperback | 267 pages
1961
Edition: First Edition
Penguin Books
English
Condition: Acceptable
A rare first edition! A book with obvious wear. Has some damage to the cover, including scuff marks, creasing and general wear and ageing, but integrity still intact. The binding is slightly damaged but integrity is still intact. The first page in the book has something written in black pen, and in very small lettering, at the top-right corner of the book. no other writing in margins, no underlining and highlighting of text, and no missing pages or anything that would compromise the legibility or understanding of the text. The pages have also discoloured considerably around the edges due to age, none of which compromises the legibility of the text. An old and aged, but still clean and solid copy.