The Poet's Manual and Rhyming Dictionary by Frances Stillman, 0500270309, Lowest Book Price Finder

Customer Reviews:

Useful Poetry Reference

The first section of this book, 'The Poet's Manual', is a thorough discourse of the mechanics of English poetry; covering subjects such as rhyme, metre, and poetry forms with clarity, brevity, and interesting examples. This section is a useful reference; however, it is readily apparent that Frances Stillman is a traditional poet with a traditional taste in poetry - which will be fine for some readers but not for others.

Plenty of the author's poems can be found within the pages of The Poet's Manual. Although Frances Stillman is obviously a competent and versatile poet, I have not yet decided whether she included her poems to promote her own work or merely because examples of some poetry forms were difficult to find.

Some may regard this book as a classic; it is evidently popular, and is indeed over 30 years old (which is immediately obvious through the typeface and page layout used). The binding at least is of traditional high quality.

Some people will find the larger second section of the book, the 'Rhyming Dictionary', very useful. Before Internet accessibility, this rhyming dictionary would have been a great resource for poets. However, there are faster, more convenient, and easier-to-use rhyming dictionaries available on The Internet.

Essential reference book for the book shelf

The book is in two main parts. The first part explains the theory of rhyme and meter, followed by exposition on traditional and modern poetic forms, with many examples. The second part is the rhyming dictionary itself. If the reader takes the trouble to read the introduction, there is a clear explanation on how to use the dictionary - so it is not difficult to use at all.
Two things recommend this book - at least for the British reader. It was written and is published in the UK, and there doesn't seem to be anything else like it on the market. I discovered it some years ago when Wendy Cope (the poet) promoted it at a poetry reading.
Both parts of the book are excellent. The first part is very imformative and the second very useful. Highly recommended.

Very difficult to use

This dictionary was complicated and difficult to use. Included are many French words. Why put those in? I borrowed it but would not buy it.

A 'must' for anyone who likes to doodle with words

This Manual will uncover for you the nuts and bolts of poetry, revealing the structure of works of the greats. By copious illustrations and in a non-technical way that anyone can easily understand, it shows how that poetic thought which appears in your head may be safely transmitted into a reader's - with the emphasis and rhythm you intended intact. In poetry, as in all writing, it is OK to break the rules - but know what the rules are, first. This book will tell you those rules. As for the Rhyming Dictionary - Boy! Is that ever a handy gadget - also sensibly laid out so as to allow you to find what you are looking for! You can always pretend that you never need to look at it.

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