The Dog in British Poetry

Originally published in 1893, this utterly charming book collects more than 200 poems from British literature celebrating our faithful canine companions as they hunt, romp, chew, and wait patiently for their master's voice. The first ever collection of poetry on dogs (which its editor proudly dedicated "to the cynics"), The Dog in British Poetry is a heartfelt labor of love. Including notable work by great and lesser-known British poets through the end of the 19th century (Byron, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Browning, Tennyson, Dryden, Swift, Pope, Blake, Butler, Wordsworth), this authoritative anthology also includes an appendix of scholarly notes on the poems, and delightful touches such as indexes of the poems by dog breed and the dog's name (Nina, Oscar, Snowball, Trouncer, Wag). Combining just the right amount of tweedy charm and playful celebration, and sure to please dog-lovers, Anglophiles, and readers of every breed, The Dog in British Poetry, in print again anew, gives the dog his day, his due.

R. Maynard Leonard was a prolific anthologist and scholar (publishing a number of titles with Oxford) who persevered in the face of literary ridicule to bring this wonderful book to "the great dog-loving public."